


Bay City Flames

by Starship21ZedNA9



Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Breaking Up & Making Up, M/M, towering inferno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 09:16:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20964122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starship21ZedNA9/pseuds/Starship21ZedNA9
Summary: A Starsky and Hutch/Towering Inferno fusion.  In which, Starsky is a Firefighter and, his ex-boyfriend Hutch, is an architect.  On the opening night of Bay City's brand new tower that Hutch designed, a fire breaks out, leaving countless people trapped inside.  Starsky is called to the scene.  Can the boys work together to save lives and rekindle their relationship?





	Bay City Flames

The sun reflected brightly off his glass tower as the helicopter dipped closer and closer toward it. Ken Hutchinson squinted and turned his head from the faux flames. He would have turned away anyway. He didn't want to look at the thing. He hated it now. It stood there, looming over all that surrounded it. It should have been a triumph. His triumph. He should be sipping champagne with Dave right now, celebrating a job well done. He should be shaking with nervous energy, anticipating the dedication party. He could almost hear Dave complaining about having to spend the evening filled with false smiles and forced laughter. But, he would have still gone. For him, Dave would have done it. Hutch would have promised to make it up to him and Dave would have rolled his eyes and offered his arm and they would have gone. That was how his day should have been going. Instead, Dave had finally given up on him and Hutch had taken off to the country to lick his wounds. He looked down at the city he had fled months ago. He hated that too.

Two years of his planning and working had all paid off. The proof was in front of him. His bank account was well fed. Still, the sight of it sickened him. It had cost him everything. Dave was gone and he had nothing left. He didn't feel pride at the monument to his work. He felt empty. The helicopter was close enough now that he could see Mike Ferguson standing on the roof. His arms were wide open and he had a phony smile plastered on his oily face. Hutch braced himself as he always did when it came to Iron Mike. Slave driving bastard. Always pushing Hutch for more. Never letting up for even a moment. He'd let the man lead him around the whole project. He'd ignored everything else, including Dave. He remembered nights of Dave begging him to come to bed but Hutch kept working because Mike was expecting new plans in the morning. He didn't need to look Dave in the eye to know the disappointment he'd find there. Hutch rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. It wasn't going to happen again. He was done. No Ferguson. No more towers. He was getting out. Out of Bay City to someplace quiet. Some place he could try and salvage his life. 

He just had to get through the night. He repeated it to himself like a mantra as the helicopter finally touched down on the roof of his creation. Just get through the night. Start over in the morning.

Ferguson was opening the door before the blades had fully stopped. Hutch dodged his outstretched hand as he climbed out of the chopper. He headed inside, ignoring Ferguson's chattering as the older man struggled to keep up. Hutch didn't quite make it to the elevator in time. Ferguson caught the door at the last moment, flashing his shark's grin at Hutch. Hutch kept a straight face and met his gaze.

'So,' the old man began, 'you're really gonna go.'

Hutch nodded, 'tomorrow.'

'You won't last the week.'

Hutch resisted the anger that bubbled up inside him at Ferguson's smug tone. As if he knew Hutch. Really knew him. Hutch leaned against the cold paneling of the elevator and smiled easily.

'I've just been out there for months. I didn't miss this city once. I was glad to get away and I'll be glad to get away again.'

'Hmm. That's why you didn't see fit to return any of my messages. I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up at all.'

'I gave up a lot to this project. I might as well see it at least once.'

'So you are coming tonight. Black tie and all.'

'I'll make an appearance,' the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Hutch entered into a beautiful wide open office space. It looked just the way he'd planned it. The place looked sleek. White walls blended with the glass railings. The penthouse sat, overlooking the bright room. He almost smiled at the sight of his vision come to life. Almost. Until Iron Mike slapped him on the back and laughed with pride.

'Hell of a sight, isn't it, Hutch? And you won't believe how much we saved on this place. Nearly 1/4 of our projected budget.'

Hutch didn't answer. He just watched the people, busying themselves at their desks, scurrying up and down the stairs. Everyone was bustling with excitement.

'And the best part. We set up an office for you in the penthouse. It's yours, Hutch.'

Hutch shook off the man's hand. 'I don't want an office. I don't want the penthouse. I'm leaving, get it? Take my name off the damn building if you want because I don't care.'

Ferguson was unfazed. 'You'll change your tune once you've heard my offer.'

'I don't want to hear any offer, Mike.'

Before the conversation could escalate, a friendly voice rang out, 'Hutch! You made it.'

Hutch instantly felt the tension leave as he turned to greet Jack Mitchell. The man met him with a warm embrace, which Hutch gladly returned. He was grateful when Jack turned him away from Ferguson.

'No time to waste. Let me give you the grand tour.'

'I'll come along,' called Ferguson.

'That's all right, Mike,' Hutch replied without looking back, 'I want to catch up with Jack anyway. I'll see you tonight.'

'You're gonna hear out my offer!'

Hutch ignored him and stepped out of the stark white office and into the hallway. The hall was a warm sight with tan walls and various art deco paintings hung up. It seemed to wind on and on like a maze.

'Most of the residents won't move in until next week. We've got a few on the lower levels. And one nice family on floor 86. Single mom and two kids. Mom's deaf but she's cute.'

Hutch eyed him, critically but didn't comment. 'I didn't think art deco was really Iron Mike's style.'

'It's not. It's Linda's. He let her put a personal touch on things.'

'She deserves it for putting up with him and that snake of a husband she's got.'

'Simonetti's a piece of work, all right.'

Hutch nodded. He had to admit, it looked good. It was impressive. It was his design. And it didn't matter. Ferguson's offer didn't matter. The party didn't matter. He didn't know why he came back here at all. Except...maybe...

'Have you seen him,' Jack asked.

'I just got here.'

'Are you gonna see him? Call him, at least?'

'I don't know. I mean, no. No, I'm not gonna call him.'

'You're an idiot.'

'Jack, he doesn't want to see me. He made it very clear that I'm no longer welcome in his life. Calling him now would only hurt us both.'

Hutch slowed to a stop. Jack faced him and leaned against the wall. 'Come on, Hutch. You're both already hurting.'

'Exactly. I don't want to make things worse. I've caused him enough pain. He should be able to live his life without me coming back to screw it up.'

'Then why did you come back here?'

Jack saw right through him. He'd always been able to. He was the first one to notice Hutch was falling for Dave in the first place. Without his cajoling, Hutch might never had worked up the nerve to ask the man out. And sure, maybe deep down, the party was the perfect excuse to come back to Bay City. To be back near Dave. But, now that he was here, he found that he couldn't do it. He couldn't reach out to him. he didn't want to interrupt his life. Dave had put up with so much from him. The least he could do was let the man move on in peace.

'I'm gonna check out this tower, go to this party, smile for the senator to keep Ferguson off my back and then I'm on the first flight out of here tomorrow.'

'You're an idiot, Hutch. You both are. Making yourselves miserable for no reason.'

'He's miserable? Have you seen him?'

'Not much of him. That's how I know he's miserable. Goes to work and goes home. Never goes out anymore.'

Hutch's heart sank. He hated the thought of Dave being alone. Dave loved being with people. He thrived on in. He imagined him wilting like a plant without sunlight alone in his spacious apartment that they'd once shared. And it was his fault. 

'He has Huggy,' he mumbled, weakly.

Jack gave up, 'yeah, I guess.' 

'I win!' Jack and Hutch both started at the shout and looked to see two children racing down the hall. A boy and a girl about 10 years old. The boy stopped, breathing heavily, as the girl charged up behind him and jumped on his back, sending them both to the floor.

'You cheated,' she accused. She had the boy in a headlock now. He pulled at her mousy brown pigtails that stuck out from her ball cap.

'He guys, brand new building here. Let's not destroy it quite so quickly,' said Jack.

Hutch just smiled, 'oh. leave them alone, Jack.'

The two kids struggled to their feet. 'Sorry, sir,' said the boy. 'My sister wanted to race down the hall.'

'And he cheated.'

'Shut up. I did not! I'm Kiko and she's Molly.'

'I'm Pete,' she said.

Hutch extended his hand, 'Hi, Pete. Kiko. My name is Hutch.'

'He designed this building,' Jack chimed in.

'Oh, wow. Well, we love it, sir. We just moved in with our mom. We're up on 86.' That was Kiko. Molly rolled her eyes at him.

'That's great. I hope you will enjoy the place. Will I see you tonight at the party?'

'No, sir. Mom doesn't like going out since dad died.'

'And I'm not wearing a dress.'

Hutch laughed, 'okay. Well, it was nice to meet both of you. I hope you enjoy the building. Feel free to race around here as much as you want. There's more than enough room.'

The kids smiled and took off down the hall. Hutch watched them, fondly, until they were out of sight. Jack stepped up behind him.

'Wistful about kids, are you Hutchinson?'

Hutch rubbed the back of his neck, self-consciously. 'I never really...I mean, it was never something I needed. Kids, I mean. I'm fine without them. Dave, though, he wanted kids. I always tried to avoid the subject and mostly, he let me. I think that's just one more thing he was sick of.'

'Oh, come on, Hutch. He wasn't sick of you. He loves you. This was a huge project and, sure, it ate a lot of your time, but maybe now that it’s over, you two can-.'

'Drop it, Jack. I don't want to talk about Dave anymore. It's not gonna change anything.'

Jack shut up. He looked resigned to his friend's stubborn determination to make it out of Bay City without seeing or talking to Dave. As he was about to change the subject, his radio crackled to life.

'Mitchell, come in.'

Jack sighed and answered, 'go ahead.'

'We're getting some strange readings up here. Looks like we may have had a spark or shortage in the power in one of the maintenance rooms but we're not seeing anything unusual on the cameras,' the fuzzy voice said.

Hutch's head snapped up and his heart skipped a beat. Jack didn't look concerned.

'All right. We're on our way. Hutch, wanna help me out here?' 

*****

Hutch stared at the equipment with a critical eye. He did not like what he was seeing. Everything was running just slightly too hot. For brand new wiring in a building just barely in use, it shouldn't have been happening. He had tuned out the conversation going on between Jack and the maintenance man, Dryden. His mind was racing. Ferguson wouldn't have, would he? He wouldn't have ignored his specs. He wasn't that stupid or that greedy. He was sure of that. Iron Mike was many things, but Hutch had never known him to be that slimy. But, one person was. Robert Simonetti. 

The voice of his friend came back into focus. 'But, we're only seeing it on 51st floor,' Jack asked Dryden.

Dryden nodded, 'so far. There's no telling if it'll start happening in other rooms, on other floors.'

'Well, let's not panic just yet. The surveillance camera shows no fires. It could just be an anomaly. Or the stuff is new, maybe it's just, I don't know, breaking in. I say, we just keep an eye on it for now.'

'Where's Simonetti? Is he around?'

'You know better than that. Of course not. He's probably nursing a stiff drink or sharing a bed with someone other than Linda. He'll turn up tonight.'

'Little son of a bitch. I'm gonna wring his neck.'

Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulder, 'hey, hey, hey. I told you not to panic yet. We got the party in a few hours, I promise you'll be able to tear Simonetti a new one then. Come on. Let me fix you a drink. You can tell me what you've been up to out in the wilderness. Met any bears?'

'It's not quite that far from civilization.' Hutch was still riled but he allowed his friend to calm him. 'All right, Jack. Dryden, keep a close eye on everything and let me know if we get anymore anomalies.'

Dryden mock saluted him and turned back to his station. Jack started to turn toward his office when he noticed Hutch heading in the other direction.

'Ah, Hutch. My office is this way.'

'We're not going to your office. We're going to check every inch of this place. Starting from the top and working our way down.'

'Hutch, that's 180 floors! That'll take hours. Don't you need to pick up a tux, or something,' Jack jogged to catch up with Hutch. 'Ferguson will lose his mind if you're late or not dressed accordingly.'

'I don't give a damn about Ferguson. All I care about right now is making sure this tower is safe.'

*****

Hutch was tired. He'd been going over the building for hours with Jack. The corner cutting was obvious to him as he looked closer. He could have kicked himself. He shouldn't have run off. He knew Ferguson would stick Simonetti in charge and not ask any questions so long as they were coming in under budget. 

The sun was down now and the crowd outside was starting to build. He looked out the window at the glitz and glamour down below. Women in sequined gowns, their necks dripping with diamonds. Men in black tuxedos. The red carpet being smoothed out by men who were definitely not on the guest list. The press was there, flashes of their cameras made the whole area seem to sparkle. Hutch rolled his eyes. Leave it to Ferguson to pull out all the stops for his prized building. 

A limo pulled up and everyone moved in its direction. A man Hutch instantly recognized as Senator Harold Dobey got out and helped his wife out beside him. He waved at the press and the people. Ferguson had reeled the man in. Just what he wanted. Ferguson was getting everything he wanted. This was shaping up to the night of Iron Mike's life. Hutch felt a wave of bitterness bubble up in his gut.

'Hey,' Jack called, jogging down the hall toward him. 'Ferguson's been looking for you. He wants you down there to make an appearance and he says you'd better be at that party.'

'I'm not done up here.'

'Hutch, we've searched over half this place. There's nothing. Now, let's get down there before the guy blows a gasket in front of his beloved Senator.'

Hutch admitted defeat and allowed Jack to lead him down to the lobby. Before he could make it out the door, he spotted Simonetti. He pulled out of Jack's grip and grabbed Simonetti by the shoulder, roughly yanking him around. 

Simonetti refused to be rattled. 'I see your time in the wilderness has destroyed your manners. If you don't mind.'

Hutch released him. 'There was a systems failure earlier. That can't happen. Not with the electrical specifications that I had. Now, did you screw with it?'

'You don't believe in the tactful approach do you?'

'You're damn right, I don't.'

'What the hell business is it of yours?'

'This is my building It was my design and I designed it to be safe and I want it safe. We had an electrical flair up in one of the utility rooms. Looks like the wiring isn’t quite what I told you it should be.'

Simonetti sighed. 'All the wiring is up to code, inspected and approved.'

'Code's not good enough for this building! I asked for installations way above standard!'

Simonetti stayed collected. That only made Hutch angrier. The bastard didn't even care that he'd been caught. 'I'm sure that works for people like you, living in a dream world out in the woods but for those of us who had to stay behind and deal with the realities of building this place, that doesn't work. My job is to keep Mike's projects from going over budget and I have done that. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going up to the ballroom room. We're about to have a party you know. You're not exactly dressed for the occasion.'

With a smug smile, Simonetti moved to the elevator. Hutch stood there, fuming. He should have known. He knew what the little snake was like. He'd been foolish enough to believe that Ferguson would keep him in check. Or maybe he just didn't care.

'Don't let him get to you, Hutch. Come on, let's get outside.'

As they neared the door, the night air hit him like a brick wall. He'd forgotten how warm the city was this time of year. He could hear Senator Dobey addressing the crowd. He saw Ferguson hanging on his every word, like he was a dog and Dobey was his master, dangling a treat in front of him.

'This magnificent building represents yet another landmark in a long succession of landmarks in this great city.'

The senator paused for the applause.

'And now, I hereby dedicate this beautiful glass tower, the tallest tower in the world.'

The crowd erupted in cheers. The senator smiled and he and his wife waved to the crowd and allowed themselves to be escorted inside.

Hutch stepped nearer to Ferguson. 'I think you've got him in the bag, Mike.'

Ferguson jumped and then smiled. 'Hutch!' He looked him up and down. 'You're not dressed. Go and get your tux on. We'll talk upstairs. I've gotta see to the senator.'

'Mike, we've got a problem and I don't know how serious it is yet.'

Ferguson waved him off, 'later Hutch, later. I've still got an offer to talk to you about. You go change and then I want you at that party. No excuses.'

He followed Dobey inside before Hutch could get out another word.

Jack fought his way through the crowd back to Hutch's side. 'Well, you heard the man. Let's just go on upstairs and relax.'

Hutch rubbed his brow. He was tired but he couldn't let go. Something didn't feel right. And if Simonetti didn't care and Ferguson wouldn't listen, then he was gonna keep fishing until he got to the bottom of it.

'You do on, Jack. I'm gonna keep searching.'

Jack groaned. 'Oh, all right. I'll help you, boy scout. You always have a way of keeping me from having any fun.'

Hutch smiled, grateful for the company. Grateful to have somebody on his side. 'Thanks Jack.'

*****

Hutch had turned Jack's radio off. He didn't want to hear Ferguson's endless requests that he join the party. They were rounding yet another corner. Hutch was beginning to feel like he was in a maze of his own making. He wanted out of there. He wanted to run back to his little cabin away from the world. He wanted Dave.

This hall felt different though. It felt warmer. And there was a haze that he was trying to track. His heart started beating faster. A thousand conversations with Dave came crashing back to him. Dave taught him what to look for. What the signs were. And Hutch was getting a bad feeling now. It was hard to concentrate on the source of it with Jack chattering away. He had tuned him out a while ago, knowing Jack just liked to fill the silence. 

A security guard was approaching them, whistling as he made his rounds. He smiled cordially as he passed them. Hutch waved at him.

He slowed his pace and looked carefully around him. His eyes were drawn toward the cracks at the bottoms of the doors, looking for any smoke coming through. Smoke that he was sure he could smell now. Then he spotted it. That slow crawl of this black and gray oozing out from a storage room. He looked up to see Jack's hand on the door knob.

'Jack! Don't!'

Too late. Jack opened the door and the fire jumped out at him. Jack screamed as he was engulfed in flames. The guard dashed back to them and his eyes went wide at the sight. Hutch pulled off his jacket and shoved Jack away from the flames. He smothered Jack with the jacket, trying desperately to put the flames out.

Hutch addressed the guard, 'call and ambulance and the fire department! Now! Move!' The shocked man ran off. Jack was moaning weakly. His body was black and charred, His clothes had melted into his skin. Hutch was afraid to touch him. He looked back at the storage room. The flames crackled and jumped as if they were mocking him. 

‘Hang on, Jack. Hang on. I’m gonna get help.’ Jack just continued to moan. Hutch doubted that he even knew he was there.

He reached for the service phone and dialed.

'Ballroom. How can I help you?'

'This is Kenneth Hutchinson. Get me Ferguson now. It's an emergency!'

He waited until he heard the man's boastful voice. 'Hutch! Are you dressed in your best yet?'

'Mike! We got a fire on 60. Jack's hurt bad.'

There was a pause. 'Did you call the fire department?'

'A guard is calling now. Listen, I think you better get those people out of there.'

'Over a small fire 100 floors below us? You're just upset about Jack. Just keep me posted okay. And get up here as soon as you can.'

Abruptly, Hutch heard the dial tone and he slammed the receiver back down. Arrogant son of a bitch! He hadn't even asked about Jack. He knelt back beside the burnt man. He was still groaning but his eyes were shut and he didn't move. The fire was calmer now, but as he stared into the flames, he didn't have much hope that this would be a simple fix.

*****

Chief David Starsky was tired. He was bone deep exhausted. In a way that no amount of sleep would help. Though he had been working for the last sixteen hours, the thought of once again returning home to his quiet apartment made him reluctant to leave his office. He was sick of sleeping alone in a bed meant for two. Sick of seeing a half empty bookshelf where Hutch's books used to be. Sick of not having enough dishes to justify running the washer. Of having too much space in his closet. Of not yet figuring out what to do with Hutch's empty office space.

Lately, he'd taken to either sleeping at the station or, if he could be persuaded, over at Huggy's place. He didn't want to impose on his friend but Huggy was nothing if not persistent And at least with Huggy he didn't feel so alone. But, wasn't that why he had left Hutch in the first place? Because, even together, he'd felt alone. Because Hutch had stopped joining him for dinner. Had stopped coming to bed with him. Because he was holed up in his office, obsessing over some damn tower. So, why did he feel worse than ever? Why couldn't he stop thinking about golden hair and sunny smiles?

The alarm went off. Dave ran a hand through his thick curls and prepared to go back out, when Huggy appeared at his office door, winded and nervous. He was already throwing his gear on.

'We got a call, chief.'

Dave smirked, 'yeah, I got that.'

'Dave, it's the tower,' Huggy held his gaze and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Blood began to pound in his ears.

'What tower,' Dave already knew the answer.

'Hutch's tower. It's the dedication tonight with the senator and,' Huggy trailed off, as if the words didn't matter.

'And what? Hutch took off to the country. He's gone.' He had to still be gone. He couldn't have come back to town without him knowing. Hutch wouldn't do that. He wouldn't not try to get in touch with him.

Huggy slowly shook his head, 'I talked to Jack Mitchell earlier and Hutch came back today, just for the party tonight. He's there.’

Now time stopped completely. His thoughts ran in a circle. Hutch. No. That son of a bitch. What he said was, 'let's go.' Starsky caught up with time and jumped from his chair, grabbing his jacket on the way.

'Everyone's gearing up as we speak.' Dave ran passed him but Huggy stayed hot on his heels. He passed his crew, moving as efficiently as they ever did. Good people, every one of them. He spotted his own, engine red Torino. His gear was already stashed in the trunk from the last call out. That was good, he could get there immediately. He wasn't surprised when Huggy got into the passenger's side just as Dave peeled off. 

'Who called it in?' He tried not to let his nerves show.

Huggy knew what he was really asking. 'Not Hutch. A security guard. But, he didn't sound that panicked. It's probably not that bad.'

'Come on Hug. You've been in these high rise fights before. It's like being in a chimney and it's always bad.'

'Either way, Hutch is all right, man. You guys were together for 10 years. You taught him what he needs to know and he's not stupid and he doesn't panic. He's probably already outside, waiting.'

Dave didn't answer. He just tightened his grip on the wheel.

*****

By the time they drove up to the tower, Dave's mouth had gone dry. Thankfully, some trucks were already there and fighters were already moving. A mob of people in robes and pajamas were making their way outside. Families, single men, elderly women with their dogs. Dave pulled haphazardly as close as he could get and was out of the car before it had fully stopped. He grabbed his gear and he and Huggy raced up the steps to the lobby doors. Dave looked up to see smoke climbing into the night, with flames chasing after. This was not going to be easy. His attention turned back in front of him as a familiar man made his way to meet him. Hutch, looking shaken but unharmed. Dave shuddered out a relieved sigh and fought down the urge to pull him close. Hutch wasn't his anymore. Hutch hadn't even told him he was back in Bay City.

Huggy didn't have that problem. He grabbed Hutch in a fierce but brief embrace. Hutch hugged him back, indulging in the comfort of it. But, Dave could see the look in his eyes of a caged animal. When Huggy pulled away, Hutch addressed Dave.

'Jack's hurt.' Dave winced. Jack and Hutch went back all the way to high school. He didn't have many friends that weren't originally Dave's. Jack was about it.

'How bad?'

'Real bad. I tried to warn him.' Dave stopped him before he started rambling and lost his composure.

'It's okay. It's gonna be okay. Tell me what we got here.'

Hutch gestured to the tower. 'We got hit on 60. It's spreading fast.' 

Dave nodded and spotted some of his people. 'Minnie! Zach! With me. Huggy, you too. We're gonna set up a command center inside.'

The three followed their chief without question. Hutch was left standing alone, dumbfounded for a moment as his mind raced to catch up with his eyes.

'Wait a minute! Wait. I'm going with you.'

Dave didn't even look back. 'You're a civilian. You made it outside. You're staying outside.'

Hutch scoffed. He wasn't about to let Dave brush him aside like that. He ran in front of the small group, stopping them in their tracks. 'I designed this building. It's a monster. You're gonna need all the information you can. Information that I've got.'

Dave was unmoved, 'I can't let you go back in there. Go to the hospital and see about Jack.'

'Dave!' Dave shot Hutch a warning look. Hutch backed down slightly. He took a deep breath and tried again. 'Chief Starsky, trust me, you are not gonna get any cooperation from Ferguson or Simonetti. You know that. You know me. I know this tower.'

Hutch had a point but Dave still didn't like it. 'You stick to me like glue until I tell you otherwise, you got it? If I say it's too dangerous, then you get your ass back outside. I mean it, Hutch.'

Hutch didn't doubt him at all. He could read Dave better than anybody. But, he also knew that he wasn't leaving while there were still people inside. This was his responsibility and he wasn't going to run from it. Not this time. He nodded, hoping it would be enough.

Dave knew it was a bad idea. He'd seen Hutch on a guilt trip before and he didn't have the time to watch his every move. But, he was going to need to know everything he could about the tower. And they needed to move fast before it got too out of control.

'All right. Show us a good spot below the fire to set up and I need to see all the blueprints of this place.' Dave shouted at a few more fighters passing by, 'you all! Start taking up that equipment.'

A few firefighters poured into one of the elevators. Dave waited for the next one. He wanted to ride up alone. Hutch had other plans. He jumped in after him. 

They rode in silence for a moment before Hutch spoke up. 'How are you?'

'I'm fine.' Dave didn't look at him. They watched anxiously as the numbers on the elevator panel lit up, slowly one after the other.

'I know what you must be thinking. This was my big project, the reason that we broke up and here it is, on fire, on it's big opening night.'

Dave ignored him, which only served to annoy Hutch.

'Look, I only took this job for us.'

He scoffed, 'please, Hutch. Don't try that one on me.'

'It's true! This was a huge pay day for us.'

That got Dave's attention. 'You mean for you. We didn't need a pay day. We were more than comfortable. It just wasn't enough for you and neither was I. Your tuxedos weren't nice enough to hobnob with all the politicians and the socialites. I don't know enough rich people etiquette for you. I embarrassed you, so maybe a little more numbers in your bank account would make up for it.'

Hutch gaped at him. 'Dave how can you think that? Embarrassed of you? I'm proud of you. More proud of you than anything. I wanted the best life for us that we could have.'

'Hutch, we already had it. And as much as I told you that, you didn't believe me. You love being an architect and that's great. I'd never take that away from you. I love my job. But, at the end of the day, when we come home, that's time for us. But, with this place,' he gestured, 'that time was gone.'

'I've worked for Iron Mike before. You know what he's like,' Hutch weakly defended.

'Yeah, I do. That's why after last time, you promised you wouldn't work for him again, but damned if you didn't go ahead anyway the first time he came knocking.'

Hutch blinked, running through his memories, trying to recall such a promise. 'I never...I didn't promise.'

'Oh, yes you did. You just pictured this beautiful tower, all that money, all those handshakes and ass kissing you'd get and you forgot. Forgot about your promise and forgot about me.'

Hutch didn't know what to say. He really didn't remember promising that. But, he knew that Dave wouldn't lie to him. Not ever and certainly not about something so important. Had he truly been that selfish? That stupid?

'If I promised you, then I'm sorry. But, I never forgot about you. I could never forget about you.'

Dave shrugged, unimpressed with the declaration. 'Well, that just means you didn't care about how I felt.'

The elevator dinged and that was the end of that conversation. Dave stepped out and motioned for Hutch to lead the way. Anything else Hutch said would only lead to fighting and a delay. 

'My office is this way, two floors below the fire. That's where everything is anyway.' Hutch led them all to his, as of yet, unused office. He opened his cabinet as rolls of blueprints tumbled out. Hutch scrambled to grab at them. Huggy helped him scoop them up. Dave waited impatiently.

Hutch's mouth twitched in a shadow of a rueful smile. 'I'm guessing Simonetti only gave these a passing glance.'

Dave was confused, 'weren't you keeping up with it?'

Hutch looked at him like he had grown a second head. 'I've been out of town. You knew that. You told me to go.'

Hutch was baiting him. He didn't mean to. He never meant to. It was just as natural as breathing for him. Dave wasn't going to rise to it. He wouldn't point out that he hadn't kicked Hutch out of Bay City. He had broken up to him, yes, but taking off to the other side of the country was all Hutch. Even in the best of circumstances, it would do no good trying to point that out to Hutch. When Hutch felt attacked, he lashed out blindly and ferociously. Dave was tired of fighting but he was more than a little surprised and Hutch had abandoned the project that he'd sacrificed their relationship for.

He swallowed and said, 'so, you just walked off the project? You haven't been overseeing, keeping tabs, calling, nothing?' He tried to keep any accusations out of his tone, but Hutch was already feeling defensive.

'I finished my job. I did my part. Simonetti and Ferguson, they built the damn thing and they were supposed to follow my plans!'

Hutch paced back and forth behind the desk, agitated. In the old days, Dave would have wrapped his arms around his back and held him until he calmed. Instead, he held his hands up in surrender.

'Okay. Okay. Forget it. All right? It doesn't matter right now. I need to get back on track. I need you to tell me have you got anything that can blow up? Gasoline, fabric cleaner? Anything like that?'

Hutch tried to think, 'I don't think so, no.'

'What about your tenants? Any silk or wool manufacturers? Sporting goods? Anything that can give off a toxic gas.'

'Most of the tenants haven't moved in yet. That crowd you saw on the way up, that was the lot of them.'

Dave nodded. 'okay, that's good.'

'Dave, the sprinklers didn't activate along with the smoke detectors. Hell if everything in this chimney isn't fouled up!'

'Hutch, come on. We're here to stop it. Don't do this now. Let's take this thing one step at a time. Minnie, you take Zach and get started on that fire.' The two quickly left. Dave joined Huggy, who was pouring over Hutch's plans.

'The party,' Hutch suddenly remembered.

Dave stopped what he was doing, 'the party is still going on? Why weren't they evacuated?'

'Well, why don't you give it a try. Maybe Ferguson will actually listen to you. God knows he's not listening to me.'

Dave felt a pang of regret. Ferguson was pigheaded and for whatever reason, Hutch was constantly cowed by the man, despite his best intentions. It had been a source of a lot of friction between them. 

'Which floor is it? I'll get them to evacuate.'

*****

Dave rocked on his heels as the elevator climbed floor after floor. He'd rarely exchanged words with Mike Ferguson beyond surface pleasantries. Dave had never liked him and he was quite certain the feeling was mutual. He had played nice for Hutch's sake even as the oily bastard had pressured him to cancel plans, interrupted countless evenings, and generally made Hutch a wreck. Things were different now. Dave would drag the man outside kicking and screaming if he had to.

He took off his tank and coat. He didn't want to cause a panic, walking up in his full gear. He watched the numbers rise until the car finally came to a stop. The doors opened up to a ridiculously extravagant room, in Dave's opinion. There were white trees with lights winding in and out of the artificial branches. Huge marble pillars strategically placed. A large dance floor that many of the guests were making good use of. There were booths that the older folks were sitting at, watching the dancers. Huge windows showed off the city's skyline and there was a well stocked bar in the center of it all. 

His eyes scanned the room until he spotted Ferguson. The man sitting with Senator Dobey and he was giving him his full attention. Dobey appeared to be humoring him. His wife just looked bored. Dave would be lying if he said he took no pleasure in pulling the man away from his brown nosing.

'Excuse me, Mr. Ferguson. I need to speak with you now.'

Ferguson looked as if he was trying to place him before frowning, 'ah. Chief Starkey.'

Dave smiled, 'Starsky. And if you please.'

Ferguson hesitated for a moment before addressing the senator. 'Excuse me, Harold. I'll be right back.'

'What the hell do you mean, interrupting me like that, Chief,' Ferguson demanded once they were hidden away in a corner.

'Mr. Ferguson, a fire has broken out in this building and I'm afraid we need to get these people out of here.'

'Are you insane? This is a very important night. We haven't even served dinner yet. I'm not about to tell everyone that they have to leave.'

'That wasn't a suggestion.'

'Now, wait a minute. Just how bad is it?'

Dave sighed. Hutch was right. It was exhausting talking to this man. 'Well, sir, it's not good. It's a fire in a high rise building. We need to get it under control but for everyone's sake, we need you and your party to get below the fire.'

Ferguson looked at him as if he were looking at a small child who needed the world explained to him. 'Chief, I don't think you're familiar with our many modern safety systems in this building. We've got them all.'

'I'm aware that your sprinklers aren't working.'

Ferguson's smile dropped. 'Well, I don't see how that's possible. They're brand new and state of the art. In any case, a fire on 60 can't reach us up here.'

Dave had had enough. 'All right, I'll tell these people they have to leave.'

Ferguson held out a hand to stop him. Dave resisted the urge to lay him out flat. 'That was Senator Dobey and his wife you pulled me away from. Do you want me to go over there and pull rank on you?'

'When there's a fire, I outrank everybody. You and your party are going to move one way or the other. I could do it but you ought to. I don't want a panic. Just make a nice, calm announcement that the party is moving down below the fire floor. Now.'

Ferguson considered. His eyes cast downward. Dave only stared at him, prepared to make the announcement himself if he had to until finally Ferguson nodded. 'Okay, Chief. I'll tell them now.'

'Good.' His radio cracked, 'Chief, we need you back at command center.' It was Huggy's voice. 'On my way.'

*****

Huggy was covered in soot and sweat by the time Dave made it back to Hutch's office. Other crews had started to pile in, all moving quickly with their plans of attack. Against the back wall, Hutch was pacing around nervously. Part of Dave wanted to go to him but instead he turned his attention to his right hand man.

'It's getting out of control fast. Minnie's working on it now but we need to be more aggressive.'

'Damn. All right. Let's get some more water up here. I'm going up to the source myself. You stay here for now. Keep everyone organized.'

As he turned to leave, he ran straight into Hutch. 'did you get him to listen,' he asked desperately. Dave placed a hand on Hutch's shoulder, 'I did. He should be moving people out now.'

'Thank God.' Dave started to move away again but Hutch continued to block his path. 'Dave, I'm sorry.'

Dave froze. How many months has he waited to hear those words? How many times had he thought they could work things out if only Hutch would apologize and own up to his role in the demise of their relationship? He took a step closer.

'You were right to question me. The fire, it's my fault. It's my responsibility. And I let...people down. I let the most important people down.'

'Chief!' A young firefighter called to him from the edge of the room. The young man looked scared and he was breathing heavily. Dave shook his head. Now wasn't the time to have a heart to heart with his ex. 

He barely glanced at Hutch as he spoke, 'you weren't the only one making decisions, Hutch.' Those were the only words he could manage. He called to Huggy as he followed the frazzled young fighter, 'if you have to leave, Zack's in charge, got it?'

Huggy gave him a thumbs up. Dave couldn't bring himself to look at Hutch one last time before he left to face the flames.

Minutes later, the heat was intensifying the closer he got. He could hear the growing sounds of frantic voices and the crackling of the fire. Through the oncoming smoke, he could make out the fire gliding along the ceiling. Minnie's hose was trying to snuff it out but she wasn't having much luck. He took his time as he cautiously reached her.

'Chief! The ceiling's gonna drop,' she shouted. He grabbed for a poker and flashed her his most confident smile, 'and we're gonna help it. Everybody step back. Back! We don't want this coming down on anyone!'

He poked at the burning ceiling, not surprised at how easily it was giving. Minnie and a few others joined him. Finally it broke and dropped. Minnie looked at him with excitement. 'That's why you're the boss, boss.' She gave him a high five and he was grateful for the moment of reprieve. Minnie was always good for team morale. 

Over the roar of the flames, he heard chatter on his radio. More fires breaking out. How the hell were they ever gonna stay on top of this? He just prayed that Iron Mike had gotten everyone at his ridiculous party out.

*****

'The kids,' Hutch suddenly remembered. 'I gotta make sure they got out.' Hutch dashed for the door. Huggy was faster. He slid in front of Hutch. 'Just where the hell do you think you're going, blondie?'

'There's two kids and their mom up on 86. I need to make sure they got out.' Huggy refused to let Hutch push passed him.

'Hey, hey, hey. You're not a firefighter. Okay? I'll get them. Which apartment are they in?'

Hutch realized he didn't know. 'I'll have to check the books. They didn't say which apartment. Huggy, they're just kids!'

'And I'll get them out. But, you're not going anywhere, unless you're finally ready to be sensible and go outside.'

Hutch gave him an annoyed look. Huggy knew Hutch wasn't about to leave but he figured he give it a shot anyway. Hutch grabbed a ledger from his desk and frantically searched for the family.

'Here they are! 26B, 86. I'm going.' 

'Hutch! You got a hearing problem? I'm going. You're staying here.'

'Huggy, please. This is my fault. None of this would be happening if I had been paying attention. I don't want their blood on my hands.'

'And I don't want yours on mine! Do you understand that?' Huggy was shouting and people were beginning to stare but he didn't care. He was starting to understand how Hutch could drive Dave so crazy. He spoke again in a quiet voice, 'you think Dave would ever forgive me?' It was a last ditch effort to get Hutch to listen to reason. It didn't work.

'You're gonna have to restrain me to stop me. I promise you, once we get the kids outside, I'll stay outside. Please, Hug. Please.'

Huggy considered. Getting Hutch outside could only be a good thing. One less thing for Dave to worry about. One less thing for Huggy to worry about.

'Okay, but you do as I say and when your ass it outside, it stays there no matter what.'

Hutch nodded, relieved that Huggy had agreed. 'I promise. But, Hug? You also gotta promise that you'll get Dave out too. I don't care if the whole building burns to the ground. Dave's gotta get out.'

Huggy softened. What was he going to do these two idiots? 'I've never left Dave behind and I'm not about to start tonight. Now, let's go get these kids of yours.'

******

Hutch didn't see any flames, but then again it was hard to see anything over the thick smoke. It burned his eyes and his lungs. Huggy forced him to his knees and gave him his mask. He placed Hutch's hand on his shoulder and squeezed, silently urging him to hold on to him so they wouldn't get separated while Huggy led their way. Hutch tried to calm his pounding heart and focus on moving forward. Focus on keeping connected to Huggy. Focus on getting to Kiko, Pete, and their mother. He was scared. Scared of suffocating and burning in this damned building and for a moment, he wanted to turn back. But, he thought again of the kids. Kids dying in a place he designed and then neglected. He thought of Dave somewhere below them, fighting for so many lives at the risk of his own. He'd never be able to live with himself if he turned and ran. He had to do anything he could to make things right.

Suddenly, Huggy stopped and signaled to him that they had made it to the apartment. The smoke had cleared significantly. When Hutch looked up, he could actually see the door.

Huggy helped Hutch to his feet. 'Are you okay?' Hutch took a final deep breath from his mask before taking it off. The sudden absence of clean air made him cough but he assured Huggy that he was all right. They pounded on the door and called the kids' names but there were no signs of life from the other side. Huggy pointed to the floor where more smoke was creeping from the crack under apartment 26B. They didn't waste any more time. Together they managed to force the door open. Darkly, Hutch thought it was a good thing that Ferguson and Simonetti had cut corners there too.

Inside the apartment, fire was spreading quickly. Hutch tried to push away the thought that they were too late. Huggy shouted, 'you take the right rooms! I'll take the back!' 

Hutch ran to the first bedroom he saw. He found Kiko, passed out on the floor by his bed. He scooped the boy up and dashed him to the hallway. Kiko was sweaty and filthy. He was still in the clothes that he'd met him in earlier that day. He sank to the floor with Kiko in his arms. A hand on the kid's chest reassured him of a gentle rise and fall. Hutch gently tapped his cheek until his eyes opened and he let out a deep, hacking cough. 

'That's it. You're all right now. It's me, Hutch. We met today. Do you remember?' Kiko looked at him blearily and nodded. 'There's been a fire but we're going to get you out now. I promise.'

Kiko's eyes went wide. 'Mom. Pete.' His voice was dry and hoarse as he tried to wriggle from Hutch's grasp. On cue, Huggy arrived, carrying an unconscious woman. She was in her nightgown and her hair was still damp from her nightly shower. 

Kiko crawled over to her. 'Mom? Mom! Wake up!' Huggy turned to Hutch, 'she's in a bad way. I need to get her out now.' 

'Go. Get her out. There's another kid inside. I'm going back for her.'

'No! Hutch, damn it! I'll go.'

'Huggy, we don't have time to argue about this! These people need help. You're better equipped to help this woman than I am. Okay? Please! We'll be right behind you.'

Huggy knew that Hutch was right about one thing. They didn't have time to argue. He also knew he had to put the injured woman in his arms first. She needed medical attention fast. 'Right behind me, Hutch! Hurry up!'

With that, Huggy turned and left.

Hutch plunged back into the burning apartment. He moved passed Kiko's room. The next room was shut and there was a hazard type sign with 'KEEP OUT' in block letters. He grabbed the brass knob and instantly recoiled. It was impossibly hot. He removed his jacket and wrapped a sleeve of it tightly around his hand. He braced himself and opened the door as quickly as he could.

He didn't see Pete at first. At least, she wasn't on the floor like her brother had been. He checked under the bed. Nothing. He called her name again and again. Finally, a voice answered over the roars and pops. The closet. He slid open the door and there was Pete. She was huddled against the wall, looking scared and wild. She leapt for him when she spotted him. He wrapped his arms around her and led her back to her waiting brother.

'We need to leave right now.' The kids weren't paying attention. Pete hugged Kiko tightly, 'where's mom,' she demanded.

Hutch knelt down by them, 'your mom's gonna be okay. A firefighter is taking her outside right now. I know him. He's a friend of mine. He'll take good care of her, I promise you. We're gonna follow them out now.' 

As they took in his words, he took each child by the hand and started down the hall. They moved slowly and Hutch's stomach flipped when he noticed the smoke thicker than it had been. After only a few feet, he heard a strange, muffled crunching sound. He stopped in his tracks. The sound grew louder and he followed it up to the ceiling to see it slowly sinking in on them. 

'Get back!' He yanked them away just as it completely gave way and fire and debris rained down in front of them. They were blocked. There was no way to follow Huggy out that way. 

Pete tugged at him, 'the other stairwell!' They ran in the other direction, where the smoke was thinner. They reached the door to the back stairwell and it was blessedly cool to the touch and Hutch thought for a moment that they would make it out this way, until he threw open the door. The way up was clear. The way down was not. It looked like there had been an explosion. The stairs were gone, leaving a jagged chasm below them.

'What do we do now,' asked Kiko. 'We can't get down!' Hutch nervously looked up. They had no choice.

*****

Dave lifted his helmet and wiped his sweaty brow. He was exhausted and felt no closer to snuffing out the inferno. The lobby was swarming with fire fighters and paramedics tending to the wounded. He looked out across the street. Evacuees and spectators were crowded around, gawking and pointing. Uniformed police did their best to keep them at bay. Dave sighed. His body demanded that he rest but he couldn't. His job was far from finished tonight.

'Chief Starsky,' Dave turned to see a chief from another station approaching him. 'We've got a problem.' Dave laughed without humor. 'We've got a million of them. Can you be more specific?'

'The party upstairs. The people are trapped there. We got word that the elevators have stopped. One stairway is jammed by something and another is filled with smoke.'

'Oh, God. Ferguson, that moron. If he had just listened the first time Hutch told- I mean, the first time he was told to leave, they'd all be out. How close is the fire to them?'

'It's still a ways away. I'd say they've got two hours, maybe three.'

'All right. We can't count on us getting the fire put out by then. I want you to get the Coast Guard on the horn and get some choppers out here. We're gonna have to start airlifting them out. We got any communication up there?'

The man nodded, 'Yeah, we've got phone contact for now. I'll get on those choppers, sir.'

Dave let the man go and prepared to back inside when he spotted Huggy. He was speaking with a medic. A woman on a stretcher lay between them. She looked to be barely conscious. Dave altered his path and went to check in with his second in command.

'Hug? How's it going in there?'

Huggy looked at him with guilty eyes. Dave felt a cold wave wash over him. It made him feel sick. The medic wheeled the woman away and the two were left alone. 'What happened?' He kept his voice low.

'Dave...Hutch and I went up to 86. He said there was a family up there already moved in. A mom and two kids. The place was already lit up when we got there. We got the mom and one kid out. Hutch went back for the other one. He said he'd be right behind me. I didn't want to go, but the mom needed out. She couldn't wait.'

Dave's mouth went dry but he managed to spit out, 'and?'

Huggy hung his head low. 'And he's not down here yet and neither are the kids. I don't know what happened. Dave, I'm so sorry.'

Dave ignored his apology. 'So, you're saying he's still up there?' Dave silently pleaded for it not to be true.

Huggy shook his head, 'I don't know.' He sounded defeated and for once he looked small in his fire gear.

'No, he is' Dave's hopeless tone matched Huggy's. 'He'd be down here if he could be, especially with people to look after. He'd do whatever he had to to protect those kids. I gotta go after him.'

This seemed to snap Huggy back to life. He blocked Dave's path. Dave was stunned for a moment. Huggy never openly defied Dave while they were working. He respected his authority too much. And to do it now? When Hutch's life was on the line? Dave resisted shoving him out of the way.

'Chief, you can't. You're in charge here. We need you to do your job.'

'Someone else can do it! That's Hutch in there!'

Huggy didn't back down. 'Someone else can't do it! You're Battalion Chief for a reason. A lot of lives are depending on you tonight. Not just Hutch and you know that.'

Dave threw his helmet on the floor. He did know. He knew exactly what he had to do. He needed to focus on the big picture. His mind flashed back to Hutch's pleading eyes in the office. Trying to make amends with him. He wished he hadn't cut the moment off. It might have been their last. He'd left Hutch once. Now, his job was forcing him to do it again. Huggy was right. Lives were on the line. He had no choice. He'd never forgive himself for this.

Huggy spoke up again, his tone gentler now. 'Hutch isn't a child and he's not stupid.'

Dave scoffed, 'He also isn't a fireman.'

'I know. I know. Let me go back for him. I'll find him.'

'You're the one who lost him!' Dave regretted his words at Huggy's hurt expression. 'I'm sorry, Hug. I didn't mean that. Yeah, okay Go on. Get back in there and get him. Keep me updated and be careful.'

Huggy grinned, 'you got it, boss.'

'Chief!' The two men turned. It was Zach, looking grim. 'Just go word from the hospital. Jack Mitchell's dead.'

'Damn it,' said Starsky. He had no love for Mitchell. He found the man reckless, thoughtless, and overall exhausting to be around, but Hutch had counted him as a real friend. 'It just keeps coming. What am I gonna tell Hutch?'

'Let's just worry about finding him first. Don't focus on the lives lost right now. Focus on the ones you can still save.'

Dave bowed his head and took a shuddering breath. 'Thanks Zach. You go get back to work now.'

'Yes sir.' Once Zach was out of earshot, Huggy asked, 'do you need to fall apart?'

Dave stiffened and at once stood tall. 'No. I'm good. I'm gonna do my job. No, go on. Get out of here.

*****

Hutch did his best not to show the kids how afraid he was as they made their way up flight after flight of concrete stairs. He tried hard to remember everything Dave had taught him about fires but his mind was in a panicked whirlwind and couldn't think much of anything besides keep climbing. Keep climbing. Climb to where? Fire moved fast. And it would catch up to them eventually. Corner them and extinguish them. If he could find a working phone. To let them know where they were.

'Do you hear that,' Kiko asked. Hutch couldn't hear anything over the blood rushing in his ears and his own heavy, panting breaths. Kiko stopped moving, distracted by whatever it was he was hearing. 

'It's like a hissing sound.'

Hutch stopped too, a few steps behind the kids. He sniffed the air. 'Gas! Look out!' 

He barely had the words out before the narrow stairwell exploded around them. The floor vanished from under his feet and he was falling. His hand grabbed for something to hold onto. Something to stop his mad descent. Bits of broken cement fell around him, striking him as he plummeted. Finally, his hand grasped something solid and his body slowed. 

He held on with all his strength. It was a railing that had come loose in the blast and was now dangling precariously. His fingers were slippery and he slowly slid downward. He looked below and saw his lifeline coming to an abrupt end. He looked across. There was a landing still intact. He swung his body towards it as hard as he could before his hand slipped free of the railing. He landed with a hard thud. He lay, huffing on the cold floor while his heart threatened to hammer right out of his chest.

He gradually registered the cries of Pete and Kiko above him. They were pressed back against the wall, having just missed being part of the blast. He slowly sat up and looked over himself for injuries. Nothing hurt but he might be in shock. He couldn't see any obvious wounds as his eyes started to focus again. He took in his surroundings. There was a door behind him. He carefully stood, using the wall as balance. 

'I'm okay. Don't move. Just stay there.' The kids remained frozen in fear. He opened the door. The hallway was clear and different from the others below them. It was fancier, more decorative and if he strained, he thought he could make out voices. The party!

'Okay, I know where we need to go. Can you guys climb down here?' They looked at him like he was crazy. 

'Look, I know it seems impossible, but we don't have a choice. There's no more going up.'

Pete hesitated before speaking, 'I think I can make it.'

She leaned over the side and took a deep breath. She turned back to Kiko and offered him a weak smile. Kiko remained pressed against the wall. 'Pete, don't.'

'We have to. We can't stay here.' She eased over until she had both hands wrapped tightly around the twisted railing that had saved Hutch from from falling to his death minutes before. She looked down and paused. A shudder went through her.

'Pete, just don't look down.'

Hutch saw the muscles in her arms tense as she jumped and wrapped her legs around the pole. It wobbled and creaked but it held. Kiko paced back and forth on his thin ledge. Pete looked down again.

'Oh, God!'

'Pete! Stay with me, okay? Look at me. Look right at me!' Her eyes moved to him. He was struck by how young she looked. How scared but trusting she was. How much she was counting on him to get her out of this.

'Good girl. I want you to start very carefully climbing down.'

'What if I fall off at the end?'

'Not gonna happen. Because you're gonna go slow and I'm gonna grab you and pull you in, okay? I'm right here and I've got you, I swear.' He tried to sound as confident as possible. Showing his own fear would only make it worse for her.

She slid an inch and then another. 'That's it. Just keep looking at me. I'm here.' He stretched his arms out and stepped as close to the edge as he dared. It seemed like an eternity as she crept closer and closer to him. He reached for her but was just shy of grabbing her.

'Okay, you're gonna have to swing over to me.'

'No! It's gonna break!'

'It's gonna hold. Trust me.'

'Trust you? You made a building that's lit up like a match!' That was Kiko, his face red and splotchy from crying.

'Shut up,' Pete screamed.

'Pete! I can't reach out any further and you can't hang there forever. You don't have a choice.' He was not gonna get into an argument. 

Her face shone with sweat and tears. She glanced back up at Kiko once more and did as she was told. She pushed forward and he still didn't have her. When she swung back, she pushed harder. Almost. She growled as she forced herself as much as she could and then she was in his arms. She let go of the pole and clung to him. He pulled her all the way back until they were pressed against the wall.

'You okay?' She nodded and tried to get her breathing under control. Hutch left her there and moved back to the edge, looking up at Kiko. 'It's your turn, buddy.'

'I can't. There's no way.'

Hutch ran his hands through his matted hair in frustration. But, before he could utter a word, Pete chimed in. 'Come on. I did it. You're telling me you can't do something I can do? You admitting that I'm tougher than you?'

The siblings held each other's gaze for a long time before Kiko relented. He cautiously reached out for the railing. He braced himself once he had a firm grip.

'Don't let me fall,' he begged.

'I won't.'

Kiko jumped. He hung on for a moment and then he started to slide and slide fast. Faster than he meant to. He was quickly approaching the end of his support. The boy wasn't strong enough or fast enough to stop himself. His legs kicked uselessly in the air as he hurtled toward them.

Pete shrieked and lunged forward. She reached out over the edge, too far over the edge and grabbed Kiko's arm just as he slipped off of the rail. The kids both fell forward as Hutch dove and caught Pete by the legs before she went completely over the side.

The sudden weight surprised him. He could handle one of them just fine, but he strained and struggled with both of them. The children were powerless to help him too. All Pete could do was keep an ironclad grip on Kiko.

'Hang on! I've got you both. I'm gonna get you back up.' Hutch's arms shook with the effort of pulling. He kicked his feet trying to get his legs under him. He scooted his body as far back as he could. He managed to pull his knees up under him. He had more room now and he agonizingly got Pete all the way back up.

He quickly moved up beside her and helped haul Kiko up too. The three of them sat there in a heap, panting and hold each other for a moment.

'Let's not do that again,' Pete's voice wavered. Hutch and Kiko let their nerves release in a bark of laughter.

'I'll do my best. Let's get out of here. I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired of looking at this hole.' They leaned on each other while they struggled to their feet. When they opened the door, the voices Hutch thought he was hearing earlier became clearer. Hutch would make that party, after all.

*****

Dave kept the hose steady while the water drowned the onslaught of flames. He was still waiting for word on the helicopters. He would fight until the end but he couldn't count on being able to put the fire out fast enough. There were hundreds of people trapped up there. He mentally berated himself again. He should have made sure that Ferguson got those people out. He should have stayed and evacuated everyone himself.

But, that was the problem with being Battalion Chief. You had to be everywhere at once. Make a thousand decisions on the spot and pray they were right. But, he made mistakes. He tried his best and he wanted to save every life that he could. He'd give his own if necessary. Sometimes no matter what he did, no matter how quick or clever he was, people still died on his watch. Hutch had never thought less of him for it. He always told him that he was a hero and that there were people still alive because of him.

Hutch. Dave was doing his best not to think about him. He couldn't afford to. If he let himself panic or get too emotional, then he would make mistakes. The night had enough working against them, without their Chief breaking down.

He looked over at one of his rookies. The kids had uncertainty in his stance that spoke to his inexperience. He held the nozzle up high, where it was mostly having no effect.

'Hey! Kid! Down low! Keep it down low and keep it moving. Come on. We've almost got this room out!'

The rookie lowered his hose and moved it back and forth. The flames shrank down into the new, charred and melted carpet, and finally they went out. The large room was left smoky and dripping and everyone took a moment to savor the small victory.

'Is this one of yours?' Dave turned to see a firefighter holding up a gold watch. Dave took the dripping thing and held it to the light. There was an engraving. T. Nash. He didn't know the name. He shook his head, not knowing if he was relieved or not.

'Must be a civilian,' he said. 'Don't lose it, all right? Someone might want to claim it later.' He handed it back and wondered about T. Nash and if he could have saved him. If he'd burned or succumbed to the smoke. Or maybe, some hopeful part of his brain spoke up, he was safe. He'd lost the watch another time and was out of the building, unaware that any of this was even happening.

He doubted it. He left the doused room, preparing to call the Coast Guard himself. He was getting impatient. He rounded a corner and ran into Minnie. She was followed by two military men.

'Chief! Great. This is Colonel Gage and Major Allen. They want to talk to you about the choppers.'

'Perfect. I want to talk to them too.'

The Colonel shook his hand as he spoke, 'We've got four choppers at your disposal, Chief.'

'Good. There's a helipad on the roof and we've got over a hundred people trapped up there. Let's get moving.'

'Now, hold on a minute.'

Dave prepared himself for a fight. 'We don't have all night. This fire is spreading fast. And I'm not about to sit here and chat about it!'

'I'm not here to hinder you, Chief. I want those people out as much as you do. But, we've got high winds tonight. We're gonna have a difficult time landing at that altitude. Our guys are taking a risk.'

'My guys are taking a risk too! That's their job, isn't it?'

'Dave!' Minnie scolded. He looked at her, surprised. Of all this crew, Minnie never called him by his first name on the job. 

She held his gaze until he relented. 'Look, I'm sorry. I understand the risks your pilots are taking and I appreciate it. But, you wouldn't have come down here in person to tell me you weren't gonna try.'

'No, we wouldn't. We will try. But, cautiously. We can't just rush into it.'

'Well, let's talk game plan, then.'

*****

'What the hell is this?' Pete stopped at the end of the hall, in front of the emergency door. Hutch and Kiko raced to catch up with her. When Hutch saw what she saw, he nearly gave up right then and there. They had indeed made it to the south entrance of the ballroom. There was nothing between them and the party but a door. And a tipped over wheel barrow of hardened cement. It blocked the door shut. The kids pounded on the door. They shouted and begged but there was no response.

'They're not gonna hear us. And even if they did, they couldn't get this door open,' Hutch sat down heavily.

'Your building sucks!' Pete kicked at the cement.

'Well, I can't argue with you there,' he rubbed his eyes and sagged his head.

Kiko was still facing the stuck door. He placed a hand on it, thoughtfully. 'There's gotta be another way in there. That doesn't involve going back the way we came.' 

Hutch tried to think. He tried to remember the exact layout of the whole tower. It had been so long since he'd seriously looked at his plans, let alone come up with them. Besides, who knew what else Ferguson and Simonetti had changed. But, maybe. He looked up. There was a large vent just over his head.

He climbed up on the railing so that he could reach it. He shoved on the grate. It resisted for a moment and he nearly lost his balance pushing, but it gave way.

'All right. This is vent should take me over to the ballroom. I'm gonna crawl up there and when I get through to the other side, I'll get help, okay? And then we'll get the door open somehow.'

'You're gonna leave us?'

'Can't we come with you?' They spoke over each other, scared and begging him not to leave.

'No. Not this time. Just sit tight here. I'll get you inside. I promise you. I need you guys to trust me on this, okay?'

'What'll we do once we're inside? I mean, we'll still be stuck,' Kiko asked.

'One thing at a time. We're gonna figure it out.'

The two of them looked at him doubtfully. He put a hand on each shoulder. 'I will not leave you guys here. I'll get this door open.'

'Okay, okay, okay. Just hurry up.' 

Hutch gave each of their shoulders a squeeze and then hopped back up on the railing. He heaved himself up. It was a tight fight but he managed. The cold air blew his hair back and hurt his eyes. It dried the sweat on his red face. It wasn't a far crawl. He could already see the end of the tunnel. There wasn't enough room to crawl on his knees or bend his elbows to his sides.

He pulled himself along with his hands, scooting forward a little bit at a time. He saw a tunnel matching the one he was in on the other side of a narrow but very long fall. Once he was at the edge, the walls were covered in pipes on all sides. He could get across if he was careful enough. He'd have to. He estimated it would be about 50 ft. of crawling once he reached the opposite vent. He was so close. Besides, he'd shimmied down a broken hand rail, hadn't he? What was this compared to that? Sure, it was more of a fall than a shimmy, but the point was he'd done it. His other option was to go back and wait with the kids and hope they'd be rescued before the smoke or the flames reached them. The party may not be rescued in time either. But, he'd rather take his chances in there than in an isolated hallway.

He grabbed hold of a solid pipe and slid his body out of the vent. Such a short difference. He could make it. Dave would be able to do it. He let thoughts of Dave wash over him. It steadied his hands and eased his fear. He didn't want to look down, but he had no choice. He had to see where he was putting his feet. He moved slowly, occasionally looking over at the next tunnel. He gained a little more confidence each time he saw it getting closer. He heard the hums from the pipes that held him up. He hummed along with them and imagined Dave laughing and shaking his head at him. It almost made him smile.

At last, he was right over the vent. He eased his way down until he was eye level. It took the last of his strength to get inside. He laid against the cold metal to catch his breath. He looked forward and saw a light broken up by another grate. His pulse sped up. Once he was on top of it, people came into view. He saw nervous men, with receding hairlines and rumpled suits. Panicked women dripping with jewels, pacing back and forth. He maneuvered passed it so he could kick it through with his feet.

He heard murmurs from the crowd. He tried to slide out, legs first, gently, but it was too great of a drop. He landed on his ass and grunted when pain shot up his back. His unwanted audience gasped and moved toward him.

He picked himself up and didn't stop to answer any questions or accept any help. He made a beeline for the bar and demanded the phone. The shaken bartender obliged. Hutch dialed his office, praying Dave would be there.

'Hello,' a strange voice answered. 'Get me Chief Starsky. This is Ken Hutchinson. I'm up in the ballroom.'

There were a few seconds of silence before he heard the voice he needed so badly.

'Hutch? Are you okay?

'Yeah. I'm fine.' 

'What the hell were you thinking, Blintz?' Dave sounded angry, but the familiar nickname gave Hutch hope. Maybe he wasn't too mad.

'I know. I know. I'm sorry. Are there any firefighters between the ballroom and the fire? I need someone up here with an ax. The south entrance is blocked with cement.'

'Cement,' came the incredulous response. 'How did that happen?'

Hutch shrugged, 'your guess is as good as mine.' 

Dave chuckled with no humor, 'boy, you really made a winner here, didn't you?' Hutch didn't blame him for taking that shot, cheap as he found it. 'yeah, it's a big hit with everyone.'

'Uh, Huggy might be up there,' Dave continued like the insult hadn't happened. 'I'll try and reach him and send him your way. He's looking for you anyway.'

'Did he make it out with the woman?'

'Yeah. She'll be all right.'

Hutch paused and took in Dave's words. 'You, um, sent him back for me?' He held his breath, unsure of what exactly he wanted Dave to say. Of course, in his heart of hearts, he wanted Dave to say yes. To tell him that he still loved him and he'd made a huge mistake when he'd broken up with him. That he was sorry he'd set them on firmly on separate paths.

'I told you to stay in the office, ya dummy,' Dave's voice had a hint of thickness in it that Hutch didn't dare mention.

'I know. I had to. There were kids, Dave. I told you that this is my mess to clean up.'

'No, it's mine! This is my job, Hutch and you should have left it to my people. Now, look at where you are! Look at where those kids are! You don't listen! You just never listen to me!'

Hutch felt like he'd been slapped. But, he couldn't ignore the truth of it. He'd strayed from safety against Dave's explicit instructions. He'd done it to save the kids and he'd ended up putting them in even more danger. He wasn't helping at all.

Dave sighed. 'I'm sorry. I'm wired. Look, we're gonna start getting helicopters up to the roof and try to airlift people out. We're gonna go in groups of ten. I'll send Huggy up and get that door open for you. You all need to get organized quick. You hear me?'

'Yeah, I hear you.' If Dave could go back to all business then so could he. 'Call me when you're ready to go and tell Huggy to hurry.'

'I will. And Hutch, don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine.' He hung up.

******

The phone felt impossibly heavy as Dave placed it back in its cradle. He could feel Minnie's eyes on him before he even turned around.

'Chief.'

He held up a hand to stop her, 'don't. Please, just don't. I gotta get a hold of Huggy.' He walked past her but Minnie wasn't about to let him off the hook.

'You didn't tell him about Jack Mitchell.'

Dave froze and spoke without turning back to her. 'He doesn't need to hear that right now. I need him focused. If he, or anyone up there has a chance of getting out alive, then he needs to be calm.'

'Come on, Chief. Hutch is tough. He can handle it.'

'He needs to think about the people who are still alive and still need saving. We all do. Hutch isn't the only person up there. They all have people who love them and want them home safe. We need to get those choppers in the air.'

'But, Chief, I mean, do you need anything? A break? Someone else can take over for a little while.' This time, he did turn to her. He wasn't taking any break. And she knew he wouldn't.

She shrugged, 'yeah, I figured. I just thought I'd ask.'

'I made my decision about Mitchell. I'll tell him when he's safe. When I have to.' He kept walking even when he heard her say, 'he'll be okay, Dave.' He hoped she was right. He hoped they'd all survive the night.

*****

Huggy found the kids shortly after Dave radioed him. He had already on the ballroom floor, contemplating how he probably didn't have a way down anymore. As he had been slowly making his way up, more fires had sprung up and he'd ended up with no choice but to keep climbing the tower. He was getting worried that Hutch and the children had succumbed somewhere in the building. He hadn't been able to get back to the floor he'd left them on. It was overrun by the fire and anyone left there would be dead by now anyway. He had been trying to outrun the smoke for the last hour now

The kids were sitting against the wall, leaning on each other, looking exhausted. He saw the offending concrete, keeping them stuck in the stark white hall. He plastered what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face once they saw him coming.

'Hey, guys. Remember me?' Kiko stood and asked, 'is our mother okay? Did you get her out?'

'She's gonna be fine. An ambulance took her to the hospital but I promise she'll be fine.'

Pete hadn't moved from her spot on the floor, 'you gonna get us through this door? Because the last guy left us here to rot.'

'Shut up, Pete' her brother hissed.

'That guy is waiting for us on the other side of this door. He's the one who let us know you need help.' Huggy held up his ax. 'Now, let's see what we can do about joining the party. If you'll both stand back and watch the master work.'

Kiko pulled Pete to her feet and yanked her back. 'Hey, you got a second ax? I can help you out,' she said while being pulled along. 'Sorry, kid. This is a one man job.'

Huggy brought the ax down on the cement. It cracked a bit. He swung again. And again. The cement flew off in tiny fragments and bursts of dust. Huggy kept swinging until a large crack split deep in the middle of the hard glob. He stuck the ax inside and shoved a large chunk out of the way. The kids scrambled up to help him clear the way. They pulled chunks away from the door, coughing as the dust settled in their lungs.

Kiko grabbed for the knob once they could see the whole door and pulled. It came open easily. He and Pete dashed inside with Huggy trailing behind them. A crowd descended on him, everyone talking over each other. He tried to get a word in but his voice was drowned out as they bombarded him with questions and demands. The whole room was in a panic. The men had their ties loosened or off entirely. The women's makeup was smudged and their hair was falling out of place.

He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, 'quiet! I'm sorry to tell you all that we cannot get out this way. Right now, our best bet is waiting on the helicopters. I know you're all scared and you want answers and you want out. I'm asking you all to stay calm just a little bit longer. I promise you we are doing everything we can.'

The crowd grumbled but dispersed. He could hear some people start to cry and wished he could offer more comfort. He looked around the room and Hutch was staring at him, relief evident on his face. The kids had found him and were each clinging to a side of him.

He had his arms around him and smiled when Huggy moved to join them. 'Hug, I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you. I should have listened to Dave.'

'Hutch, it's done. And I know you had the best intentions. Let's just worry about getting out of here now.'

'Yeah. Okay.'

*****

'Chief Starsky?' Dave wearily lifted his head from his palms. Colonel Gage was standing over him. Dave stood and stretched.

'Yeah? Tell me you got some good news.'

'We're ready to go. We got high winds but they're not gonna die down any time soon. We'll have to risk it.'

Dave nodded, 'we can get down, what, nine or ten at a time,' he asked, already walking across the lobby to the phone. 

'Seven is already pushing it.' Dave stopped and glared at the older man. The Colonel was not intimidated. 'We have weight limits for a reason, Chief. Now, we've already dumped as much as we can to make more space. This is the best we can do.'

Dave gritted his teeth. 'It'll take all night to get them down that way. They may not have that kind of time.'

'Your people are still working on the fire, aren't they?'

'Of course we are! But, there's only so much we can do. This thing's getting out of control.'

'Then, I suggest you double your efforts.'

'Wow, you're full of helpful suggestions, aren't you Colonel?'

The man was unrepentant. 'Look, I want those people out too. This is all I can offer you. I wish I could do more. I really do.'

'All right. All right. I hear you. I'll call up and tell him-tell them, I mean,' he corrected himself quickly.

If the Colonel caught his slip of the tongue, he was discreet enough not to mention it. He just gave a quick salute and left him by the phone. Dave groaned. He was tired. He was hungry. He had to keep going. He dialed upstairs. Hutch picked up almost immediately.

'Dave,' came his breathless voice. 

'Yeah, it's me. The chopper's coming. But, we can only fit seven at a time. Do you and Huggy think you can stop a riot from breaking out?"

'We're doing our best. The kids are going first no matter what. Then the women drew numbers out of a bowl. They'll go next. The men drew last.'

Dave bit back his protest that he wanted Hutch in the first group down. He knew saying it loud wouldn't help. Hutch would refuse and he would be right to. He wasn't the only one up there with loved ones. Instead, he said, 'okay. I'll keep in touch. Just hang in there for me.'

'I will. I'm not going anywhere. Not ever again.' He said it with such conviction that Dave's heart skipped a beat. There was so much that he wanted to say. Too much, but he couldn't now. 'I'll see you soon, Hutch.'

*****

Anxious eyes were on Huggy. The women were crowded in front. Everyone was holding their torn slips of paper with hastily written numbers on it. Numbers that may end up deciding if they lived or died. Hutch stood behind Huggy with Kiko and Pete.

Huggy steeled himself before he spoke, 'The kids are going first. That's not up for debate. In addition, I'll take the first five women. I'm asking you all to hang in there for me. I realize this will be a long process. We're optimistic that we can get the fire out well before it reaches us. However, if it's of any consolation, I will be the last one out of here.'

Hutch stared at him, surprised. He couldn't let Huggy do that. 'Along with me,' he said firmly. When Huggy glared at him, he shrugged and reminded him, 'my responsibility.'

Huggy didn't want to argue with him in front of an already volatile crowd. 'Mr. Hutchinson will be escorting up the groups of seven. I'll stay here and make sure everybody takes their turn fair and square. Hutch, take them up.'

The first five ran to him, others started to follow, too afraid to wait. 'We are not going to start a mob up here! Everybody wait your turn!' They reluctantly stopped their forward motion. They still shuffled from side to side, itching to move.

Hutch led the small group up to the roof. The wind and the blades from the approaching helicopter was so strong, it nearly knocked Hutch off his feet. The chopper hovered just off the building. From the height, they could see the smoke rising up and disappearing into the night. The normal Bay City smog already made it difficult to see the stars, but now it was nearly impossible. There was only thick, heavy blackness above them. Red lights flashed, beckoning the chopper forward. It lowered and dipped. It was only a few feet away.

Suddenly, a woman rushed past Hutch and towards the spinning blades. Hutch screamed at her to stop, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening roar of the helicopter. The pilot quickly jerked the great machine back. The tail got caught in the railing on the edge of the tower. It spun wildly around. Hutch pushed the group back inside and rushed to the panicked woman. He threw her to the ground and dove on top of her as the chopper sputtered and crashed. The wave of the blast took his breath away.

The woman shouted. Hutch opened his eyes and saw the horror of the burnt and broken helicopter. He knew there was no point in trying to save the pilot. The cockpit was engulfed in flames.

'Inside! Back inside!' He stood up and pulled her with him back into the building. The group was waiting for him. He shook his head. 'We're not getting out this way. I'm sorry everyone. Let's get back to the ballroom.'

*****

Dave slammed the phone down and kicked the counter for good measure. 'Damn it!' Huggy hadn't been able to keep the nervousness out of his voice when he'd reported that the helicopter had crashed and the pilot had perished. They were back to square one. His crew looked on. They didn't dare approach him but rather waited for him to calm down and come back to himself. Everyone was looking to him for leadership. But his mind couldn't stop dwelling on the fact that Hutch was up there. Huggy was up there. Not to mention over a hundred other people, including two children. And he was no closer to getting them down than he'd been hours ago.

'I'm sorry, Colonel. About your man. I'm very sorry.' He couldn't look at the man when he spoke the words. He'd practically forced him to send up a chopper and he'd gotten one of his men killed.

'So am I, Chief. Pierce was a good man. But, we've got others to worry about now. We've got more choppers. What we need is a new plan. We can't try that again. The wind is just too much.'

Dave tugged at his hair, desperate for a new idea. 'All right. What about one of the other buildings? The bank across the street? It's directly facing the windows of the ballroom. We can rig up a line and start pulling them across.'

'That's one at a time. That'll take even longer,' the Colonel argued.

'Well, what's your suggestion, then? Because I am fresh out.' The Colonel sighed, 'okay, Chief. Let's do it.'

*****

Hutch and Huggy conversed quietly at the empty corner table. Hutch was nursing his second scotch. The crowd was defeated and scared. Some held each other. Some cried alone. Senator Dobey was making the rounds, offering comfort where he could. His wife was by his side. They were the perfect picture of strength. 

Hutch spied Iron Mike Ferguson who was obviously avoiding him. He was alone at the bar, wisely keeping to himself. Hutch let the man be for now. He had more important things to worry about than satisfying his urge to remove Ferguson's head from his shoulders.

Hutch passed his glass over to Huggy, who pushed it right back, 'hey, even if we're about to die, I'm still on duty up here.' Hutch smiled at that. He looked out the window into night. There had to be a way down that they just hadn't thought of yet.

'What about the scenic elevator,' he suggested. 'On the outside of the building?'

Huggy shook his head, emphatically. 'Power shorted out, remember?'

'Yeah, but maybe I can mess with it and get it to at least make one ride. It wouldn't be much but at least we'd get Pete and Kiko out of here.'

'Hutch, the funky wiring in this place has already lit it up like a Christmas tree and you want to go playing around with it some more?'

'Okay, I know I've been in over my head tonight. And some might say I have a bit of an ego problem.'

Huggy snorted. Hutch ignored him.

'But, I know my way around an elevator panel. Let me try.'

'You're actually asking my permission?'

'You're the fireman here. This is your area.'

Huggy smiled. 'And what if you start another fire up here? We may not have much time but I'll take every moment we've got.'

'I'll take the extinguisher with me. Cross my heart. I'll be careful.'

Huggy was doubtful and didn't bother to hide it in his expression. But, much like Dave, he always seemed to end up trusting those blue eyes with all their determination and sincerity. He pointed at him, 'you keep that extinguisher with you at all times. And don't got electrocuting yourself either.'

'Scout's honor.’ Hutch was off before Huggy could utter another word. He contemplated going with him but suddenly Senator Dobey was right in front of him. 

'Brown, was it?' Huggy motioned for the older man to sit. 'Ah, just call me Huggy, Senator.'

'Well, Huggy, I'd like to thank you and yours for what you're doing here tonight. No matter which way this goes,' he extended a hand and Huggy took it, careful to match his firm grip. 'We're all just doing our duty, sir.' 

The senator smiled and shook his head. 'It's a courageous calling. Nobody makes you become a firefighter. It's a hell of a thing to sign up for. We're all very grateful to you.'

'Thank you. I wish I didn't have to be here. I'm not giving up, but I have a feeling this is gonna get worse before it gets better. But, we've got just about every firefighter in the city working on it.'

'I know, son. I know. My wife and I got two kids at home. Kids too young to be left on their own. My wife was number five in the name drawing. She should be safe on the ground now.' His strong demeanor cracked for a moment.

'She'll get there. And so will you. We've all got people we want to get back to.'

'One thing's for sure, I'm gonna make damn sure Ferguson answers for this.'

Huggy snorted, 'I think you'll have to get in line for that one, Senator.'

'Everyone! I need you attention!' Hutch's voice rose from the crowd. Huggy looked over to see him standing by the scenic elevator, a triumphant grin on his face 'Now, I've managed to route a little bit of power to the outside, scenic elevator. It'll only be enough for one ride down The good news is, there's more room in there than there was in the choppers. We can fit ten people, plus our firefighter here. I want a trained man on this ride. Stick with the numbers you were given and we'll get it moving. The kids are going first.' 

Huggy swore under his breath. Senator Dobey was up instantly, making his way to his wife. She grabbed him with open arms, sobbing into his tuxedo. Hutch ushered the kids into the elevator. The small group of eager women waited behind them.

Huggy marched toward him and pulled him to the side. 'What the hell are you playing at, Hutchinson? You don't announce that I'm going down. I promised these people that I'd be the last person out of here and I don't intend to break that promise!'

'And I don't intend to let Dave's best friend die up here because of me!’ Neither of them moved for a tense moment. Neither wanted to leave the other. Neither wanted to face Dave to tell him someone he loved was still trapped in a burning tower.

'Damn you and your guilt. You think it'd be any easier for him if you died up here?'

'Hug, he already let me go. No, that's not fair. I drove him away. I deserve whatever happens here tonight. But, you don't and neither do any of these people. I know it's your job and I respect that. I do. I'm asking you to stay with this group and help Dave put out this damn fire and get the rest of us the hell out of here.'

Huggy looked at Pete and Kiko with their wide, frightened eyes, huddled together against the glass wall of the elevator. He relented. 'Don't you cause Dave any more pain. Don't you die tonight,' he ordered.

Hutch smiled and gave him a playful salute, 'yes sir.' Huggy led the rest of the group inside. He kept his eyes locked on to Hutch as the clear doors closed between them. He didn't look away until they lowered out of sight. Then he turned and faced the slowly rising skyline.

*****

Hutch sat alone at the bar. Part of him wanted to grab a bottle of the strongest stuff they had and crawl off to a corner to wait for the end in a drunken haze. But, even if he wanted to give up on himself. He couldn't give up on everyone else who was trapped with him. And he wouldn't give up on Dave. He had promised Huggy, after all. He'd seen Dave's crushed face brought on by him before. Hell, he saw it frequently in his dreams. He did not want to be responsible for putting the man he loved more than anything through more pain. Still, he was all out of ideas. All he could do now was wait and pray that Dave could find a way to get them out of this. At least the kids would be safe. At least Huggy would be safe. For now, it would have to be enough.

Hutch sensed that he was no longer alone. He looked up into the miserable face of Iron Mike. The moniker didn't seem to fit him anymore. He looked desperate and guilty. His whisps of gray hair were wild and out of place. His face had lost all color. His tie was long gone. Discarded in the frenzy along with his jacket. The man tentatively took a seat next to him.

'What do you want, Ferguson?'

'Hutch, Ken, listen. I stayed within the safety parameters. Damn it, I did!'

Hutch stared at him, not surprised that even now, the man was concerned with defending himself. 'Yeah? Is that what you've been telling all these people? Has that made them feel better?'

Ferguson ran a shaky hand over his balding scalp. His beady eyes seemed to have shrunk even further inside his skull. 'Do you think I'm happy about this? I never wanted this to happen!'

'Of course you didn't! But, you let it happen!'

'I didn't! Simonetti, that little bastard let it happen! I never wanted him marrying my daughter in the first place.'

Hutch was disgusted now. He struggled not to cause a scene. He grabbed the old man by the collar and yanked him close. His voice trembled with fury as he responded, 'And who was in charge of him? You were! You turned a blind eye. I know you did. Anything to save a buck or two. And you never asked how he was doing it so that you wouldn't have to know. You son of a bitch, why didn't you cut floors instead of corners? Didn't even occur to you, did it? You had your vision and nothing was going to stand in your way. Well, I hope you've enjoyed it. I hope you'll remember this night for the rest of your life, however long that may be.'

Hutch released him. He smiled sadly and did his best to straighten out Ferguson's collar. 'But, what am I giving you hell for? Pretty rich coming from me. I'm just as guilty as you and that goddamned son-in-law of yours!'

The silence hung like a heavy smoke between them. Beads of sweat popped up on Ferguson's face, but he stayed quiet. There was nothing left to say in his defense or Hutch's. The phone ringing startled them both out of their angry guilt. Hutch answered, already savoring the voice he knew was on the other end.

'Hutch?'

'Yeah, I'm here. Look, we got the outside elevator running enough for one trip.'

'Yeah, that's great. I'll get eyes on it right away. We've got a plan of our own here too. I'm gonna need you to start clearing some space.' 

*****

The elevator seemed to take forever. Huggy stood in the back, furthest away from the windows. The women and kids stood still, frozen in fear. Most didn't dare look down. He heard the occasional sniffle but nothing else. They were nearly level with some of the smaller buildings littering the city. Edith Dobey was holding Kiko's hand. He didn't know who was comforting who. But, he suspected each thought they were consoling the other.

Pete stood with her back pressed against the window, facing him. He offered her a smile, which she half-heartedly returned. Her arms were folded across her chest, as though she was trying to keep herself from coming apart.

Huggy began to allow some of the tension to drain from his body when the left side exploded. A large blast of heat and glass surged toward the group. Everyone shrieked. Chaos erupted in the small space and soon they were all losing their balance. They slid to the sides. The car had come loose from the building. They were hanging by only the cable. Huggy fell to the floor, crashing into the other occupants as he went. People tried to keep upright. Most weren't successful. The blast had blown out one of the large panels and the roaring wind ripped through the car. Pete and the cluster around her slammed into the wall that was still intact. Huggy hoped the other panels wouldn't break. 

He was still trying to get himself upright when he saw Kiko stumbled toward the open panel. Huggy reached for him, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to catch him in time. Everything slowed down. Pete screamed her brother's name but she couldn't break free from the mass of terrified people to grab him either. He was going to fall, Huggy was certain of it.

Edith Dobey appeared and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into the group. Pete grabbed him and hugged him to her. Edith tried to spin back around but the car was too unstable. It swung from one side to another. She cried out, her arms outstretched toward the group and then she was gone. Out of sight. Falling. Her terrified screams echoed over the high winds. No one else moved. Those who had fallen to the floor didn't try to stand. Huggy stared, horrified, at the spot where she fell. They were dangling precariously over the city. And there was nothing Huggy could do about it. He looked through the glass roof of the car at the thin cable. He prayed it would hold. 

*****

'The line will hold,' Hutch assured the crowd. They had cleared the furniture to one side, busted through one of the thick windows and now there was a rope and pully rigged up to one of the pillars. The waiting firefighters on the adjacent building had shot the rope over and Hutch along with Senator Dobey's help had secured it. The firefighters had sent a white, metal seat across. It hung from the taut rope, rocking a bit. It had barred walls on three sides, so there was no chance of leaning too far and falling. Now, Hutch just had to convince people to climb aboard.

'Right now, we've got no other choice. We need to start getting out of here. This is secure. I promise you. Now, who has the next number?'

A young blond woman slowly raised her hand. Her mascara had stained her cheeks black from crying. She wore a lime green gown and had kicked off her heels hours before. Hutch held out his hand for her. She shuffled toward him.

'Don't let me fall. Plese, don't let me fall. Oh, my God.' Hutch led her to the open window and helped her into the seat. She was shaking like a leaf and couldn't make her hands fasten the seat belt. Hutch did it for her. He strapped her as tightly as it would pull.

'You're not gonna fall. What's your name?'

'Gillian.'

'Gillian, that's beautiful. Trust me now, Gillian. You are gonna be okay. You're safer than any of us. It's gonna take a few minutes for the firefighters to get you across but then you'll be on the other side, safe and sound. Just shut your eyes and hold on tight. You don't have to do anything else.'

Her knuckles were already white for how hard she gripped the bars. She gave him one last scared look before screwing her eyes shut. The cage lurched forward and then pulled back and she was in the air. Hutch held his breath. The line held. The cage moved steadily. The trapped audience watched as Gillian got farther and farther away from them. At last, she reached the other side. Hutch could just make out a fire man rush up to help her out of the caged chair. He got her safely on the roof. One of the others signalled and the now vacant cage came back toward them.

Everyone cheered. Hutch sighed. Finally, they were getting somewhere. Hutch just hoped they had enough time.

*****

'Chief! We've got a problem,' Minnie was nearly out of breath by the time she reached him out in the lobby.

'What, another one?' Dave was hunched over the plans for the building, still trying to find another solution. A faster one. At the rate they were being evacuated, they'd never all get out in time. And he knew, though he tried not to dwell on it, that Hutch would save himself for last. He wouldn't leave anyone in the building behind. But, there was simply no other way down. The only hope was to put the fire out before it reached them. It was spreading so fast and all they were doing so far was slowing its progress.

'The elevator was caught in an explosion. They're hanging by a cable somewhere around the 90th floor.'

Dave's head snapped up from the blueprints. What else could go wrong? He pushed all other thoughts away and scrambled for a way to solve this new problem. He stood from his chair so fast that it tipped over behind him.

'Chopper. Get me one of those choppers.' He was moving fast, almost sprinting now.

'What are you thinking, boss?' 

'I think I'm gonna go get them. Get that Colonel to have one of his pilots meet me across the street, on the rooftop and pick me up. Make sure they've got plenty of strong cable. Go!'

By the time Dave made it to the roof of the apartment complex across from the tower, his legs and lungs were screaming at him. He steadfastly ignored both. The helicopter was waiting for him. He ducked under the spinning blades and jumped in the open back.

'Guess you're my ride,' he shouted. The pilot turned and saluted him. 'Yes sir!'

'All right,' he started unwinding the cable, 'get me over that elevator. We're gonna hook them to us and fly them down, nice and gentle.'

'It won't be that easy, sir. You're gonna have to get out in order to secure that cable. It's crazy. You won't have any protection.' Dave was barely listening. He was inspecting the cable, satisfied that it would hold.

'Sir! Those winds are powerful. I'm not sure you'll be able to hold on.'

Dave shrugged, 'neither am I. But, I'm damn sure gonna find out. Let's move.'

The ride seemed to take forever and seeing the inferno from the air left Dave momentarily speechless. The smoke created a kind of hazy look to the whole thing. He squinted to see the details of the flames spitting out from all sides in various windows. The constant dancing of the fire made the whole tower look alive. Like at any moment it would start moving toward him. Dave swore he could feel the heat even over the cold, ocean winds.

When the elevator came into view, Dave grabbed hold of the cable, anchoring his feet on the hook at the end and signalled the pilot to start lowering him. Dave took a deep breath and let himself go. He could just make out the huddled group and Huggy standing in front of a burst pane of glass, trying to save anyone from falling out. The chopper drifted him closer. The group spotted them and started cautiously waving. Huggy flashed a relieved smile, which Dave returned.

He stretched his legs out, once he was close enough, and hit the roof of the unstable car. Dave had never been fond of heights. He could never understand Hutch's desire to design the next one bigger and taller. It was something they had teased each other about on more than one occasion. He had managed to temper his fear after so many years on the job. Still, he struggled with his racing heart now.

He looked down. He was right above Huggy, 'use your axe,' he yelled at him through the glass. Huggy nodded, understanding his plan. He took his axe and addressed the group. There wasn't enough space to move them out of the way. They were still too petrified to move, anyway. Huggy had to settle for everyone shielding their heads as best they could.

Gently, but with enough force behind it, he knocked out the top panel. Dave leaned over him with a grin, 'fancy meeting you here.'

'Man, I'm getting tired of waiting on you all the time.

Dave laughed. 'Help me get this secured.' He lowered the hook down to Huggy. Huggy carefully wound it tightly around the metal frame.

Next, Dave took out a small blow torch and began to cut through the damaged cord that tethered them all to the burning tower. 'Sure, Dave,' he muttered to himself, 'more fire is the solution here.'

He was almost through. He wrapped himself around the intact cable before finishing off the other one. They all dropped a few inches before the chopper's cable caught. He heard a collective gasp from inside the car. They were inching away from the building. Dave was just about to start breathing when the wind suddenly picked up again. They swung hard and fast. 

Dave managed to keep his tight grip but Huggy had been thrown off balance. Dave didn't hesitate to throw himself forward so that he was leaning over the steep side, just in time to catch Huggy. There was no way he was strong enough to pull him up to the top with him. If he tried, they'd both fall. All he could do was hang on to his friend. 

Dave's arms shook. He couldn't speak because of the strain on his body. Huggy tried to keep as still as possible, keeping an iron grip on the chief's hands. They would be on the ground soon and then they could both let go. Dave told it to himself over and over. The ground was coming into view, but his focus was locked on to Huggy's pleading eyes. His body wanted to drop his burden even as his brain ordered him to hold on longer.

The chopper was moving to the right. The black ground turned blue. The rescue workers were quickly inflating a safety bag. They were so close. So close. In an instant, Dave's hands were empty, the weight he carried was gone. His heart leapt to his throat until he saw that Huggy was safe. He'd landed just where he was supposed to and was crawling to the side. Dave relaxed his exhausted body while the car finally landed safely on the ground.

He was vaguely aware of the group rushing out of the broken car, but he didn't look up. Everyone was safe. That was what mattered. They would all be seen to by paramedics and cops. He still had others to save. Still, he felt like he was stuck. The weight of what they'd all just been through was keeping him down and he felt helpless. When he finally pried his eyes open, Huggy was looking up at him.

'You want me to send out for lunch or are you gonna come down from there?' Dave smiled and the weight eased up. He allowed Huggy to help him back to solid ground. He pulled him into a tight embrace, 'Thanks, Dave. I owe you one.'

'Nah. We'll call it even for all the times you haven't let me fall.' They broke the hug but leaned on each other all the way back to the lobby. Neither of them certain that their shaky legs would let them stand alone.

Back inside, Zach and Colonel Gage were locked in a grim discussion. Zach brightened when he saw Huggy. 

'Good to see you again, buddy.'

'Good to be back.'

'What's going on,' Dave could tell Zach had more to say than reunion platitudes with Huggy. Zach looked at the Colonel, who just nodded at him.

'Chief, it's spreading too fast. It'll reach those people in about 90 minutes. And it'll take at least four hours to get everyone down at the rate they're moving now.'

Huggy instinctively squeezed Dave's shoulder. Dave sagged. He wanted to scream and rage. He wanted to tell them they were wrong. They had their numbers wrong. He wanted to push them out of the way and fight his way up to the ballroom himself. He wanted to shout at them for giving up. But, he didn't do any of that. He'd been searching for an answer harder than anyone and the magic answer hadn't come to him yet.

When he spoke, his voice had a horrible flat quality to it. 'Give me the phone. I need to talk to Hutch.'

*****

Hutch picked up the phone on the second ring. People were mostly calm now. Everyone was still anxious but they were obediently waiting their turn. Hutch couldn't ask any more from them than that. He was beginning to think their luck had changed.

'Dave?'

'Yeah. It's me. How are you holding up?'

'Okay. The rig is working great. Slow, but great. Did the elevator make it down?'

Dave paused, 'more or less.'

Hutch's mood soured at that. 'What does that mean?'

'There was a little setback. But, we worked it out. Huggy's safe and so are the kids. The elevator was a good idea,' Dave was careful not to mention Edith Dobey. 

'Thank God. So, is this a wellness check or did you come up with something,' he sounded too hopeful and he hated himself for it. He hated to show Dave how terrified he was. He'd started this whole mess and he didn't want to make it harder on the man. The long silence on the other end of the line was quick to dash those hopes anyway.

Dave closed his eyes. No use trying to pretend for Hutch. He'd always been able to be honest with him before. He'd never lied to him. He'd never wanted to.

'The fire's spreading faster than we can stop it. Faster than you'll be able to clear that room out.'

Hutch turned away from the crowd. No use alarming everyone. He sat heavily down into the seat. He didn't speak. He didn't know what to say.

'Look, we're not giving up. Don't you give up, ya hear me? Huh?' Dave willed Hutch to say something to him. He couldn't stand it if Hutch decided to quit.

'Yeah, Dave. Listen, I'm sorry. You were right about everything and I screwed it all up. I screwed us up. You were, you are, the most important thing in my life and I let you slip away from me. If this is the last time we talk, you've gotta know how much I love you. I never stopped.'

Dave's vision swam. Tears spilled down his cheeks. He didn't care if anyone was watching. 'I'm going to get you out of there. So, stop talking like this is it.'

'Dave, please. Don't leave all this unsaid. We left it so badly. All I really wanted was for us to have a great life. The best life. And I'm so sorry I hurt you and made you feel like you weren't the main priority. Always.'

'Hutch! Stop it! I'm getting you out of there. I'm gonna take you home and tuck you in and then we're going to sleep for about 18 hours. And then we'll work this out. We'll work it all out. I promise you. You've just gotta hang on, babe. Just hang on for a little longer. Don't give up.' 

Hutch could hear Dave trying to hold back his sobs. Dave was begging him to hold on. He was begging him to trust him to save him. What else could Hutch do? How could he refuse Dave?

'I'm not giving up. I'm not. Okay? I love you.' Hutch didn't believe what he was saying. But, he would give Dave whatever he needed to hear. Anything to make it easier.

Dave wanted to say it back. He ached to return the sentiment. It was true, after all. He'd always loved Hutch. The break up and the distance and the goddamn fire didn't change that. But, saying it felt too much like goodbye. And he'd be damned if he was going to let that happen.

'I know, babe. We'll talk about all of it later. I've gotta go now. Gotta come up with a brilliant plan to be your knight and shining armor.'

Hutch laughed despite himself, 'you do that buddy. I'm not done with you yet.' He hung up first. He couldn't stand to hear the dial tone. 

*****

Dave sat slumped against the wall. Paramedics and firefighters buzzed around him, tending to wounded and running back and forth. Everyone still trying their damndest. And all Dave could do was stare at them. Despite his furious assurances to Hutch, he thought they'd already lost. Hutch was going to die up there, along with dozens of others and nothing he could do was going to change that. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

He could see the two of them so clearly in his mind's eye. He saw the end of their relationship. How angry and abandoned he'd felt as Hutch came in late and left early every day for months. How it seemed that Hutch simply brushed off everything he said, every concern he voiced. But, he could see beyond himself now. He saw how tired and strained Hutch had been. How he was being pulled apart by a demanding partner and a demanding boss. Dave should have understood that better. Should have supported instead of picked at him. Hutch had been struggling and Dave should have loved him all the more during it.

But, he'd just had it with the constant promises of 'one more time' when it came to Ferguson and his big, ridiculous projects. Hutch always had an excuse to work for the man again. He couldn't accept being second in Hutch's life anymore. But, seeing as how his life might be over before the night was, the whole thing seemed pointless now. The months they'd spent apart were far worse than all the late hours and petty arguments they'd ever had. Dave wanted Hutch back with him. In more ways than one. If he could get him back tonight, he'd never let him go again. There had to be some way. How could there not be another way?

He'd been fighting fires for over a decade. He knew the ins and outs of how they worked. And what did it all amount to? Sitting around, uselessly, waiting for the love of his life to die? He thought of the remaining choppers. Even if they could land on the roof this time, they'd never be able to get everyone out in time. Maybe they could just take him to the roof and drop him off. And then what? He'd simply die with the rest of them.

Everything was working against them. The wind was high but there was no rain. It wouldn't have killed the whole blaze but it would have helped. Drench it from above and let it work its way down. Dave sat up straighter. It was so simple he could have kicked himself for not thinking of it sooner. The tanks. The water tanks. In a building that size, they must have had tons of it stored. As long as the tanks were still above the fire, it would work. He jumped up, rejuvenated. He needed another look at those blueprints.

*****

The last woman was gone. Safe and secure in the other building. Only the men remained. Hutch checked the time. About 40 minutes until the fire reached them. No way. They'd only make through about a third of them if they were lucky.

Simonetti drunkenly stumbled over to the rig. 'I'm going next! All the girls are gone so I'm going next!'

'The hell you are. We all pulled numbers and we're sticking to them' said Hutch. Simonetti scoffed and tried to shove Hutch out of the way. He didn't budge. Simonetti was no match for Hutch sober, let alone drunk.

'Shut up, Hutchinson! You're not in charge here. You don't fight the fires like your boyfriend. You couldn't even get that guy to stay with you.' Hutch clenched his fists. He kept his temper, not wanting to start chaos. 

Simonetti's tirade continued, 'Hell, you can’t even make buildings that don't burn up. Everyone wants to say it's my fault! Well, it's not! You were hands off. Iron Mike was hands off. I had to be hands on! I had to be! I had to save the money! You know how Old Iron Mike is about his money. So, it's your fault. Yours!' He pointed at Hutch. 'And I'm going next.'

Ferguson appeared out of nowhere and roughly spun his son-in-law around to face him. The younger man swung at him, but it went wide and he fell forward. Ferguson caught him and tossed him to the ground. He turned back to the crowd.

'We're sticking to the numbers. You all heard Mr. Hutchinson. And if it'll make anybody feel better, I'm gonna be the last one out of here along with my son-in-law. Now, who's next?'

An older man stepped forward and held up his number. Senator Dobey helped him up to the window. Just as the man was getting ready to sit, Simonetti rushed them. He pushed everyone out of his way and pulled the man back. He scrambled to the seat. Others started to react. They grabbed hold of him, trying to force him to let go. He refused. His hands gripped the metal bars tightly. The whole rig began to slide out into the open air again. Six men were attached, all pulling at each other. 

'The line! The line's not gonna hold! You've got too much weight on it!' Dobey was shouting at them. Hutch looked up and sure enough, the rope was coming loose. He ran at them, even as they drifted further out the window. Before he reached them, the rope fell free and the men and rig fell out of sight. 'God damnit!' Hutch screamed.

*****

You won't be able to get back down before the blast, you know that, don't you? You'll be caught up there.' Dave nodded his affirmative at the Colonel. The older man tried again to dissuade him. 'Haven't you risked your life enough for one night?'

'Colonel, I can't ask anyone else to do this. My people have been working hard all night. So have yours. I'm the boss. I'll assume the risk. This is our only option left. I'm going.'

He looked at Zach, Minnie, and Huggy. They all had reservations about his plan. But, they knew that arguing with him, especially when it involved Hutch, was pointless. If the chief said it would work, they would believe him.

Huggy checked his watch. 'Thirty minutes. If we're doing this, we need to do it now.'

They all looked expectantly at Colonel Gage. Without his pilot and chopper, they were dead in the water. 'All right. Good luck, Chief.'

Dave grinned, feeling light on his feet for the first time all night. He slapped Huggy on the back. 'I want you guys to get the charges ready to go. I want the pilot ready in five minutes. I'm gonna call Hutch and bring him up to speed. Let's move it.' 

Everyone scattered. Dave dialed the ballroom, elated now that he had some good news at last to tell his ex and future partner.

'Dave.' Hutch sounded breathless and desperate. The elation disappeared at once. Had the fire reached them already? Was it too late? Was this the last time he'd hear Hutch's voice?

'Yeah, I'm here babe. What is it?'

'The rig broke. We lost six men. We've got no way out.'

Dave let out a breath. It wasn't good news but it wasn't as bad as he had feared. 'You won't need one. A brilliant Battalion Chief came up with a plan.'

Dave could picture Hutch calming and smiling at his words. 'I knew you would.'

'You know the water tanks above the ballroom? Just under the top floor? We're gonna blow 'em. Douse the whole thing in one go.'

'That amount of water's liable to sweep us all over the place. Out the window. We'll all get washed away.'

'I know. That's why I need you to get everyone ready. Tie themselves down, somewhere. To anything. Just get secure. I know it's a risk but you need to trust me right now.'

'I've always trusted you,' Hutch's voice was so low and gentle, Dave thought he might have imagined the words.

'I'm gonna need you to get up to the roof. You know the building. You'll know where to set the charges.'

'Who's gonna bring the charges up?'

Dave laughed. How could Hutch have any doubt? 'Oh, you know. Some dumbass in love.'

A pause. 'Dave, no. It doesn't have to be you.'

'Save your breath. You're out of your mind if you think I'm letting anyone else do this.'

'But, I can't risk you. I want you safe,' he begged.

'And I want you safe. So, we'll look after each other. Like we always have. Come on. Let's finish this together.'

Another pause, 'Dave, I love you.'

'Yeah? Say it to my face in about five minutes. Get going.' He hung up before Hutch could argue with him again. He'd be more than happy to argue with him later. For the rest of his life if he had to. He raced off to the helicopter.

*****

The wreck was still smoking, but the flames had died. The wind carried the strong fumes of burnt fuel, while Hutch tried not to look at the twisted metal of the destroyed helicopter and her pilot. It was just one more life he felt responsible for snuffing out. He wanted to live now. He was determined to live. He just didn't know how he was going to live with himself.

He could barely hear the blades of the incoming chopper. It's lights swept over him. He waved, hoping they would see him. The thing didn't attempt to land. It only hovered. Hutch couldn't see much due to the rising smoke. It wasn't until Dave was almost on top of him, that he saw he was gently being lowered down on a cable. He was wearing a silver heat resistant suit. The mask of it flapped behind him like a hood. He had a good sized metal box tucked under his arm. Hutch guessed it was holding the charges. He moved out of the way so Dave could land and get himself loose. The chopper took off after a few moments. Hutch stared at Dave like he was Superman coming down from the sky to rescue him.

Dave grinned at his expression. 'I know you've been through a lot tonight, but you didn't forget my pretty face already, did you?'

Hutch launched himself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. He was overjoyed when Dave hugged him back with equal intensity. It was like coming home. He lovingly ran a hand through the other man's curls. He savored the feel of his solid frame, warm and flush against him. How could he have ever walked away from him? How could he have just given up? Dave started to pull back, but only enough so they could see each other. He seemed satisfied that Hutch was unharmed. Hutch licked his lips. He wanted to kiss him badly, but a lingering shred of doubt nagged at him and he held back. Dave smiled again and gave him a firm clap on the shoulder.

'As much as I'd love to stare at you all night, we haven't got much time.' They only had one level to go down. Hutch led them to an open floor with pipes running everywhere. There were several large tanks set up in the middle of the room and the whole place hummed with a constant, dull roar.

Hutch looked at Dave, 'you're up, Chief. I don't know how to set these things.'

'Nothing to it. I'll show you.' They knelt down at the base of the first tank. Dave opened the box and started carefully pulling out wires and plastic explosives. 

'Be careful with this stuff,' Dave warned. 'Watch closely.'

He watched intently as Dave worked. Dave kept speaking to him, not taking his eyes off the explosives he handled, walking him through the process. 'We've got four more to set. I'm gonna set a timer. Is everyone tied down?'

'Yeah, yeah. There as secure as they're gonna be.'

'Good. I'm gonna set it for 15 minutes. That should give us enough time to go down there and tie ourselves down with the rest of them.'

'Cutting it kind of close, Gordo,' Hutch tried to commit every step Dave was taking to his memory.

'I know. I know. Any less time, we're not gonna make it. Trust me.' Dave finished his task. 'Now, you take these two, set them up at the far end. I'll take the other two and put them in the middle. Come back over to me once you're done. I'll set the timer and then we've gotta move.’

'Okay, let's do it.' Hutch took his supplies and set off.

Once the charges were in place, Hutch stood over Dave while he set the timer. He hesitated and looked at Hutch. 'You ready for this?'

Hutch closed his hand over Dave's. He stroked the callused thumb that was resting on the start button. Their eyes met. Hutch went for a reassuring smile. 'I'm ready.'

Together, they activated the timer. The seconds began counting down. They ran for the stairwell. They rushed down one flight, then another, and then they were knocked off their feet by an explosion. They ended up in a tangled mess on the floor. Dave recovered quickly and was struggling to stand, while Hutch blinked several times, trying to turn his double vision back to single. He saw the fire, littering their way down. Dave was hauling him to his feet faster than his brain could figure out what was happening. Dave patted his cheek a few times until his eyes were finally able to focus again. They were stuck between fire and water.

'You take my suit and you'll make it,' Dave was already trying to shed the silvery, protective layer. Hutch grabbed his wrist to stop his movement. 'No way! I am not leaving you!'

'Hutch, we don't have time to argue!' Hutch desperately scanned the small space. He spotted the metal door, now crooked and barely propped up against the wall. It had been blown clean off its hinges.

'The door. We can use it like a shield. You keep the suit, hold the door and I'll follow you down.' Dave bit his lip, not liking the idea of Hutch walking down a burning staircase, but he knew he'd never be able to force Hutch to leave him. He pulled the mask over his head.

The two of them pulled the door upright. Dave angled it in front of him to hold back the flames. 'Deep breath,' he called to Hutch.

Then they moved. The heat was unbearable, even through the suit. Dave felt as if his fingers would burn down to the bone. They walked swiftly, Hutch keeping one hand on him at all times.

Once they were through the flames, Dave tossed the door to the side. His suit was burning fast. He yanked off the mask. 'Help me get it off!'

Hutch's hands were already working. He ignored the searing pain his own fingers felt at the very touch of it. When they got the suit off, Dave kicked it away. Hutch checked the time.

'Come on!'

Hutch threw open the last door. The door back to the ballroom. The sight wasn't encouraging. The men were secured with ropes and table cloths. They were strapped to pillars, booths, the bar, or anything else they thought was strong enough to withstand the oncoming wave. And, the fire had reached them. It lurked around the edges of the room. inching closer and closer.

'Everybody hang tight! We've got a couple of minutes left and then the water's coming. Do not untie yourselves,' Dave ordered. 

He saw an empty pillar and rushed Hutch toward it. He pushed the blond down, so that he was sitting against it. He pulled out his own length of thin, but strong rope, and began to secure Hutch.

'I've gotta tell you something. I should have said earlier. Jack didn't make it.'

Hutch's eyes went wide. 'What? When?'

'A few hours ago,' he admitted. 'There wasn't a good time to tell you. I needed you to concentrate on staying alive. That's all you needed to be thinking about.' He didn't want a fight to be the last thing between them, but he didn't want to have a secret between them either. He waited for Hutch to respond.

'Oh, God. Jack.'

'I know. I'm so sorry, babe.' Hutch shook his head. 'No. Don't be. It's not your fault. It's mine. All of this is.'

'Would you knock that off? It's not helping anyone. It's your fault. It's Simonetti's fault. It's Ferguson's fault. Hell, it's my fault. We fell apart. That's on both of us. No one can blame you for not being at your best during all that. Don't take on all the blame. And don't let it eat you up. Please.'

Hutch felt tears sting his eyes. Jack had been a good friend. At times, he had been his only friend. 'Tie yourself down, Dave. Hurry up.'

Hutch was tied tightly around the pillar. The rope wrapped around him three times. Dave sat next to him and tied the rope off across his midsection. He checked the time again. 'Any second now.'

Hutch reached for Dave's hand. Dave squeezed and said, 'I love you too, by the way. In case you didn't know. I could never stop.'

The charges detonated. At first they only heard the bang and felt a tremble. Dave looked at the growing fire and willed the water to come. It crept up on some pour soul's legs and the man began kicking and thrashing. He clawed at his bindings, trying to get free.

'No! Hold on,' Dave tried to yell. Suddenly, the water came pouring in from all directions. It knocked the wind out of him and his legs went flailing. It rained from the ceiling and flooded through the doors. Tables were swept away. The men screamed. Dave could barely see as the water beat down on him. He swallowed mouthfuls of the stuff. Decor sailed out the open window.

His hand was still firmly entwined with Hutch's. He heard screams and crashes and he couldn't tell if people were getting washed away or not. The water was up to their waists. He looked down, blinking against the water running into his eyes. The small knot securing him was coming loose. He grabbed hold of it with his free hand, to try to keep it together. 

It was so slippery. He had a white knuckle grip on it but the knot still burst free. He made eye contact with Hutch. He tried to convey everything before the water pulled him away. 

'No,' Hutch cried. He reached with his free hand to double his grip on Dave's arm just as the rope slipped away from Dave and he was sliding away from the pillar. Only Hutch kept him in place. 

Dave grabbed the ends of the rope that were flapping in the current so the whole thing wouldn't come loose and Hutch wouldn't fall away too. He tried to find footing but he kept slipping. The water pounded into his face. He coughed and choked and Hutch didn't let him go.

'Hang on! It's almost over,' Hutch's terrified voice was muted by the water rushing past his ears. Hutch couldn't be certain that it was almost over, but it couldn't last forever and he would hold onto Dave until it was. Debris flowed past Dave and he tried to move from its path as much as he could. The water sloshing into his mouth made it difficult to catch his breath.

Finally, the current slowed, the raining stopped, and the water level began to lower. He took huge, gasping breaths. Hutch pulled him back to the pillar and wrapped both arms around him.

'You're okay. It's over. I've got you. I've got you. You're okay. We're both okay.' Dave collapsed against him. It was done. They had made it. 'Thanks,' he said.

'Anytime. How's about you get me out of here?' They unwound what was left of the rope from the pillar and helped each other to their feet.

Once they were standing, Dave gently tilted Hutch's chin up and kissed him, featherlight. When he pulled back, he searched his face to see if it had been the right thing to do. Hutch beamed at him, feeling more alive than he had in over a year. They both moved in this time and fell into a long overdue kiss. Everything faded in that moment and there was only each other. 

When they broke apart, Dave whispered, 'wanna move back in with me?'

'Is tonight good for you?'

'I think it's today now, but yeah, I think I can swing that.' They leaned their foreheads against each other, relieved and happy.

'Everybody all right,' Senator Dobey emerged from behind the bar. He was soaked but unharmed. Survivors started pulling themselves up and gathering together. Everyone looked shaky and stunned. They looked around and the trashed and dripping ballroom, letting it sink in that the fire was out. They began hugging each other and laughing and running up to thank Dave.

'All right. All right. Let's all get out of here,' Dave said.

*****

Hutch sat on the curb, looking up at the burnt out shell of the tower he'd once thrown everything away for. The air was still heavy with smoke and water. He pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. He felt almost peaceful, watching Dave work from afar. Despite being drenched and filthy, he was in total control of everyone still clearing the building and helping the wounded. He was organizing the chaos. Hutch was proud. He always had been, but he'd never been more so than this moment.

Further down the street, he could just make out Pete and Kiko getting into a squad car that would take them to the hospital to reunite with their mother. On the sidewalk stood the Senator and Huggy. Huggy, having to tell the man that his wife had died saving a kid. Dobey turned away and hid his face in his hands. Huggy placed a tentative hand on the older man's back.

Hutch looked away. He would have to tell Jack's family. It should come from him. And he would accept whatever scorn they had for him. It was the least that he could do. Bodies had been wheeled out, covered, and lined up on the lawn until they could be transported. Ferguson was consoling his daughter as she shrieked and cried for her husband. As slimy and awful as Simonetti had been, he would at least be mourned by one person.

Dave approached him and sat down next to him. Hutch leaned into him and Dave wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

'You know, we got lucky tonight. Body count's less than 150. It could have been a lot worse.'

'Is that really how you see it,' he asked.

'I have to. I'd go crazy otherwise.' Hutch nodded, understanding what Dave was gently trying to tell him. Dave fixed his gaze back on the tower.

'They ought to leave it up. Don't let people forget what Ferguson did. Don't let me forget what I did.'

'You know, they're gonna keep building them bigger and sloppier. And I'm gonna keep putting them out.'

'I'm not,' he assured. 'I'm done with bigger and better. No more grand projects. No more Ferguson. I'm happy being small time.'

'Yeah,' Dave playfully nudged him. 'That gonna pay the bills?'

Hutch shrugged. 'What do I care? I've got a big, strong, fire fighting hero to keep me in kale and wine.'

'Pizza and beer under my roof, pal.'

They chuckled. Hutch burrowed deep into Dave's side. Dave dropped a kiss on his damp, golden locks.

'I love you, Dave. I'm gonna do it right this time. I'm gonna show you every day how much I love you.'

'I believe you. I do. And I have an idea of how we can start. I want to spend the next 18 hours in bed. With you. After I shower. Also with you.'

Hutch smirked, 'that sounds pretty good, but are you sure you're finished up here?'

'Yeah. Huggy and Minnie insisted, I go home and they'd take care of everything else here.' Hutch looked back across the street and Huggy and Minnie had taken over Dave's efforts.

'You really have the best team.'

Dave looked at him in the early glow of morning light. He was filled with a knowledge that they were going to make it work this time. That they were in this for life. There was nobody else for Dave. 

'I've got the best of everything.' Hutch lifted his head, smiling at Dave's loving look. He kissed him.

'I came here by helicopter. We'll have to take that striped tomato home.'

Dave laughed. 'My pleasure. She's missed you, you know.'

Dave stood up and held out a hand for Hutch. Hand in hand, they walked away from the scorched tower and into the rising sun.


End file.
